Viera High School student Liam Hutchison interviews veterans at a 2025 Veterans Salute to promote the Patriotic Writing Contest of the afterschool Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club.
Patriotic Writing Contest
Boasts Over $1,000 in Student Prizes
Patriotic Writing Contest
Boasts Over $1,000 in Student Prizes
Boasts Over $1,000 in Student Prizes
By Liam Hutchison
Students around Brevard are submitting strong entries for the Patriotic Writing Contest sponsored by the largest veterans group in Florida and a retired school teacher who remains a lifelong journalist. The contest honors local military and community legend Major General John R.D. Cleland, whose name in bronze adorns the four-lane Pineda Causeway bridge over the FEC Railroad. It is a marvel of engineering many thought could never be done. The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter seeks to help students satisfy a new hunger for patriotic “content” that encourages service to others. The contest celebrates our nation’s 250th birthday.
Artemis Academy’s Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club is open now to help students get their projects ready to submit. Clubs initially will serve students on Merritt Island, at Artemis Academy’s Tapestry Community headquarters, 1270 S. Courtenay Pkwy. Two Best Original Content awards will be given out at the Saturday, November 14, Island Harvest Festival at Tapestry, with a submission deadline of Nov 9.
“I learned one thing quickly working alongside Maj. Gen. Cleland,” said Dream It, Do It! founder and teacher Linda Gaffey. “Whether you asked him for help or the other way around, once he collected input, sized up the objective, and decided on the plan to get there, you either got on board the plan and pushed, or got yourself run over. I thank God for men and women in the U.S. armed forces with that kind of drive to get things done and keep us free for the past 250 years.” Army Maj. Gen. Cleland held top leadership positions in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He was a longtime MOAACC president and IRCC resident.
“We love that this contest reaches and engages the minds of young people,” said MOAACC immediate past president Stephen Cusick, “because one of our missions is to ‘Pass the Torch and Light the Way’ for future generations to protect our country and keep us free.” Dream It, Do It! uses cognitive learning to research and find reliable sources for information for original content, rather than relying on the compliant, rote memorization of facts, and turns writing into videos and other popular content craved by social media sites.
Added MOAACC past president Stephen Bond, currently president of the Florida Council of Chapters of MOAA, “Our mission is also to encourage veterans to help other veterans and “Never Stop Serving. Maj. Gen. Cleland is a perfect example of a life of service. Except in his case, he keeps going even after his life through this writing contest,” he added with a smile. “His watch is never ending.” Brevard’s MOAACC is the largest chapter in Florida, and Florida’s MOAA chapter membership is the largest in the country.
Students in grades 4-12 will vie for cash prizes of $500, $250, $100 at an end-of year student showcase for original content turned into all manner of digital media, from audio and visual podcasts to short and feature films. Ten Best Original Content prizes of $25 will be awarded through the school year.
Artemis Academy is a STEAM curriculum for Writing, Reading, and basic Math that Gaffey created over the past decade as a public, charter, and Christian educator. The curriculum splits to send certified high school graduates directly into their trades such as rocket construction, military, police, fire and other desperately needed trades, and the remainder enter their higher education school of choice for their interest.
For more information or to submit en entry for the writing contest, or to apply for a Content Creators Club slot, go to www.RelationSkillsforLife.org.
Liam Hutchison is a former writing student of Mrs. Gaffey at Viera Charter School and now attends Viera High School.
Students around Brevard are submitting strong entries for the Patriotic Writing Contest sponsored by the largest veterans group in Florida and a retired school teacher who remains a lifelong journalist. The contest honors local military and community legend Major General John R.D. Cleland, whose name in bronze adorns the four-lane Pineda Causeway bridge over the FEC Railroad. It is a marvel of engineering many thought could never be done. The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter seeks to help students satisfy a new hunger for patriotic “content” that encourages service to others. The contest celebrates our nation’s 250th birthday.
Artemis Academy’s Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club is open now to help students get their projects ready to submit. Clubs initially will serve students on Merritt Island, at Artemis Academy’s Tapestry Community headquarters, 1270 S. Courtenay Pkwy. Two Best Original Content awards will be given out at the Saturday, November 14, Island Harvest Festival at Tapestry, with a submission deadline of Nov 9.
“I learned one thing quickly working alongside Maj. Gen. Cleland,” said Dream It, Do It! founder and teacher Linda Gaffey. “Whether you asked him for help or the other way around, once he collected input, sized up the objective, and decided on the plan to get there, you either got on board the plan and pushed, or got yourself run over. I thank God for men and women in the U.S. armed forces with that kind of drive to get things done and keep us free for the past 250 years.” Army Maj. Gen. Cleland held top leadership positions in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He was a longtime MOAACC president and IRCC resident.
“We love that this contest reaches and engages the minds of young people,” said MOAACC immediate past president Stephen Cusick, “because one of our missions is to ‘Pass the Torch and Light the Way’ for future generations to protect our country and keep us free.” Dream It, Do It! uses cognitive learning to research and find reliable sources for information for original content, rather than relying on the compliant, rote memorization of facts, and turns writing into videos and other popular content craved by social media sites.
Added MOAACC past president Stephen Bond, currently president of the Florida Council of Chapters of MOAA, “Our mission is also to encourage veterans to help other veterans and “Never Stop Serving. Maj. Gen. Cleland is a perfect example of a life of service. Except in his case, he keeps going even after his life through this writing contest,” he added with a smile. “His watch is never ending.” Brevard’s MOAACC is the largest chapter in Florida, and Florida’s MOAA chapter membership is the largest in the country.
Students in grades 4-12 will vie for cash prizes of $500, $250, $100 at an end-of year student showcase for original content turned into all manner of digital media, from audio and visual podcasts to short and feature films. Ten Best Original Content prizes of $25 will be awarded through the school year.
Artemis Academy is a STEAM curriculum for Writing, Reading, and basic Math that Gaffey created over the past decade as a public, charter, and Christian educator. The curriculum splits to send certified high school graduates directly into their trades such as rocket construction, military, police, fire and other desperately needed trades, and the remainder enter their higher education school of choice for their interest.
For more information or to submit en entry for the writing contest, or to apply for a Content Creators Club slot, go to www.RelationSkillsforLife.org.
Liam Hutchison is a former writing student of Mrs. Gaffey at Viera Charter School and now attends Viera High School.