Three students from Dowagiac Middle School are local winners in the 48th annual America & Me Essay Contest, sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance.

The winning students were Martha Schaller, who received first place; Emalee Foote, who took second; and Lauren Ahonen, who came in third. All three received award certificates for their achievement.

As the school’s first place winner, Schaller’s name will also be engraved on a plaque for permanent display in the school.

Sponsoring the school’s participation in the America & Me Essay Contest was Farm Bureau Insurance agent Jeff Neumann, with the Dowagiac office.

Martha’s first place essay now advances to the state level competition, from which the top 10 essays in Michigan will be selected. The top 10 statewide winners, who will be announced in April, will each receive a plaque, a medallion and a cash award of $1,000.

In addition, the top 10 essayists will be honored at a banquet in Lansing, meet with Michigan’s top governmental leaders and be the featured guests at a Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball game dedicated in their honor.

A team of finalist judges, which includes a top Michigan government official and the sponsoring teachers of last year’s top two statewide winners, will determine the ranking of the top 10 statewide winners this year.

Several thousand eighth-grade students from nearly 400 Michigan schools participated in the 2016 -2017 America & Me Essay Contest, which was conducted with the help of Farm Bureau Insurance agents across the state.

The topic of this season’s contest was “My Personal Michigan Hero.”

Started in 1968 and open to all Michigan eighth-grade students, the contest encourages Michigan youngsters to explore the greatness of America and its people. As sponsor of the contest, Farm Bureau Insurance has earned 11 national awards from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.