by Joe Bollig
joe.bollig@theleaven.org
SHAWNEE — Sixth grade Catholic school students showed they were more than capable of offering serious thought about vocations during an awards presentation at the annual Serra Club essay contest.
The topic this year was: “Why is it important for me to think about my vocation in life?”
The four student first- and second- place winners — accompanied by family members, their principals and teachers — were recognized during a Serra luncheon held on March 27 in the basement of St. Joseph Church in Shawnee.
The Serra Club of Kansas City, Kansas, invited sixth grade students from Catholic schools in Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties to submit essays between 300 to 400 words on the topic.
Twenty-eight students from 14 schools participated. Preliminary judging was done at the schools, followed by a final judging of the top essays by a panel of the Serrans.
The first-place boy and girl winners each received $150 and a certificate, and the runner-up boy and girl winners received $75 and a certificate. The schools or religious education programs of the winners received $200.
The first-place boy was Luke Kratofil from Ascension School in Overland Park. The runner-up boy was Dax Hall from St. Paul School in Olathe.
The first-place girl was Margot Graham from Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Shawnee. The runner-up girl was Sarah White from Holy Spirit School in Overland Park.
Each winning student read their essay, except for Kratofil, who had to leave early because he had to attend a living Stations of the Cross in which he played the part of Pontius Pilate.
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