Fifth-grade Sunrise Elementary School student Jess Loy was the overall winner in the Veteran of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy essay contest.

This year’s theme was “What Makes Our Country Great.”

Loy’s essay went on to compete at the district level, where she placed third.

Cody Osborn and Loy were first-place winners in their respective fifth-grade Sunrise Elementary classrooms. Brianna Cardoza and Cooper McCullough were second-place finishers and McCae Anderson and Rebekah McComas took third-place honors.

Fifth-grade student Christopher Hogan was the winner of the contest from Kibler Elementary School.