Elyria Catholic is proud to announce that senior, Victoria (Tori) Elbert, placed 6th in the State of Ohio for the 99th Annual VFW Voice of Democracy Competition. Tori won first place at the local VFW level Post 1079 and then advanced to the Lorain County District where she won the Voice of Democracy District 9. Tori attended the banquet and convention in Columbus this past weekend, where she presented her speech in front of several veterans. "It was a huge honor to be able to present my speech to so many veterans. It was an exhilarating weekend with lots of pride."
According to Madeleine Heinrich, English Department Chair and Tori's CCP College Composition 1 teacher, "Elyria Catholic has been participating in The Voice of Democracy competition for over 15 years through the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Zech of LOCAL VFW 1079---each year our school has placed one or more students in the top three at this level, but this is the first time we have had a student advance to the District Level and then on to the State level. We are very proud and excited about that!!" For Tori's accomplishment, she was awarded a $2,000 college scholarship check presented by State Commander, David Root. In addition, she received a $1,000 check for winning District 9.
Tori will be recognized for her award by the local VFW later this year.