Five students from Hampton Bays Middle School were presented with awards for essays written as part of the VFW Voice of Democracy and Patriots Penn Essay contests at a ceremony on Jan. 22 at the VFW Post #5350 in Quogue.

The students honored were sixth-graders Holly Anderson and Katerina Reich; seventh-graders Jacob Helfand and Tristan Halsey; and eighth-grader Jordan Hanes.

To be entered into the contest, the students were tasked with writing about what veterans mean to them and the importance of veterans in society.