BURLINGTON, Vt., March 5 – Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday will hold a roundtable discussion with the student finalists of his fourteenth annual State of the Union Essay Contest at the Vermont State House.

This year, 454 students from 27 Vermont high schools submitted essays. A panel of seven Vermont educators served as volunteer judges, ranking the essays and selecting 12 finalists and three winners. Students wrote on critically important issues, including climate change, racial justice, access to mental health care, homelessness, food insecurity, gun safety, reproductive rights, substance abuse, and political polarization. Sanders also entered the finalists’ essays into the Congressional Record, the official archive of the U.S. Congress.

Read the essays of the winners and finalists here.

Details
What: State of the Union Essay Contest Roundtable with student finalists and Sen. Sanders
When: Saturday, March 9, 3:00 p.m.
Where: Vermont State House, House Chamber
Notes: Attendance is limited to student participants, their invited guests, and members of the press. Please be in place 15 minutes prior to the event start time. All attendees are expected to follow Vermont Department of Health guidance, monitor symptoms, and are encouraged to take a rapid COVID-19 test prior to the event.