de:		U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders <Info_Sanders@sanders.senate.gov>

These Young Vermonters Bring Me Hope

These Young Vermonters Bring Me Hope Dear Fellow Vermonter, This past Saturday, 14 high school students from around Vermont joined me at the State House in Montpelier for a roundtable discussion on the essays they submitted to my 16th Annual State of the Union Essay Contest. The contest is an opportunity for Vermont high school students to describe a major issue facing our country and propose how to solve it. The students at the State House and the additional 403 students from 30 Vermont high schools that submitted essays this year give me hope for the future. Since I started the contest, over 7,000 students throughout Vermont — representing almost every high school in the state — have written essays about critically important issues. This year’s essay contest winners and finalists focused on topics of critical importance — ranging from political polarization to corporate power, to artificial intelligence and homelessness. Unfortunately, due to the Senate schedule, I had to join the conversation remotely for the first time this year. Fortunately, that didn’t stop us from having a rich, engaging and thought-provoking discussion and debate. Senator Sanders speaks with the students remotely from Washington One of the things I liked about the students’ essays is that they raised issues that don’t get the kind of discussion that we need. It isn’t necessarily what was on TV or what was in the newspaper or social media. But what these students were talking about were the issues impacting their family, their community, their state, their country and their world. They then took those problems and asked, “how do we solve them, what are the causes of them and what should be done?” Saralynn Anderson, a junior from Essex High School who was the first place winner of the contest, talked about mental health care for kids and came up with solutions for how this need could be addressed in school. She identified that schools need for more resources to hire mental health care professionals and could host free classes so students can get the care they need and so schools can combat harmful stereotypes around mental health care. Max Clegg, a junior from Mount Mansfield Union High School who took second place, discussed the three asset management companies (Blackrock, Vanguard, and State Street) that have accumulated enormous power over the American economy and are increasingly moving our country away from the democratic ideals it was built on into a system where economic rulers control our lives. Ada Allen, a sophomore from Craftsbury Academy who won third place, talked about investing in our county’s young people through increased access to afterschool programs. Ada talked about how many young people aren’t focused on school because they aren’t connected to their school, classmates and peers. She raised the idea that afterschool programs create fun environments that help kids stay in school and connected to their communities. Finalist Liam Dickerson speaks to Senator Sanders and his peers about his essay At a time when we are facing grave threats to our country’s democracy and advances in technology that will have a massive impact on the lives of working-class Vermonters and radically reshape our world, we need to support young people in identifying the issues that matter to them, develop their voice and create opportunities and openings for them to engage in political processes. This is the purpose of the State of the Union Essay Contest, and this is what I experienced on Saturday. Students receive framed copies of their essays, which Senator Sanders placed in the Congressional Record — the official archive of the United States Congress. I am grateful to all of the students that took the time to participate this year. I am also grateful for the panel of six Vermont educators that served as judges. And of course, we cannot forget the parents and caregivers who encourage their young people to take on new challenges. I hope you will join me in celebrating the good work of these young Vermonters and take a moment to read their thoughtful essays. You can find additional information about this year’s contest below. Sincerely,   The winners of this year’s contest: 1.         First place: Saralynn Anderson, Essex High School, Junior 2.         Second place: Max Clegg, Mount Mansfield Union High School, Junior 3.         Third place: Ada Allen, Craftsbury Academy, Sophomore The finalists of this year’s contest (in alphabetical order by last name): 1.         Piper Buczkowski, Missisquoi Valley Union High School, Junior 2.         Alice Buhendwa, Winooski High School, Junior 3.         Liam Dickerson, Green Mountain Valley School, Junior 4.         Quinten Drugach, Oxbow High School, Junior 5.         Sophie Hehir, South Burlington High School, Junior 6.         Hana Heidebrecht, Burr & Burton Academy, Sophomore 7.         Amelia Hill, Woodstock Union High School, Junior 8.         Matthew Mallory, Essex High School, Junior 9.         Jumana Nsour, South Burlington High School, Sophomore 10.       Kai Pincus, Pacem School, Freshman 11.       Quinn Sheldon, Lamoille Union High School, Junior 12.       Andrew Walsh, Essex High School, Junior Read the essays of the winners and finalists here. Learn more about opportunities for Vermont students through Sanders’ office by visiting https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/students/.   How Can We Help? My Vermont offices have experienced caseworkers on staff who help Vermonters navigate federal agencies every day. If you think my office can help, please do not hesitate to call 1-800-339-9834 or click here.  If you would like to share your thoughts on pending legislation, or if you have an idea that we could address through new legislation, click here.  Receiving this email as a forward? Click here to sign up for the Bernie Buzz. Office Locations Washington D.C. U.S. Senate 332 Dirksen Building Washington, DC 20510 tel (202) 224-5141 fax (202) 228-0776 Burlington 1 Church St., Suite 300 Burlington, VT 05401 tel (802) 862-0697 tel (800) 339-9834 fax (802) 860-6370 Unsubscribe Click here to forward this email