Hindsight is 20-20 they say, or so it seems.

But, if you could go back, and tell our country's founding fathers something you know today, what would it be?That was the question asked by the VFW Patriot's Pen Essay Contest. That question was posed to 6th through 8th graders at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic School, Lehighton. The contest was sponsored locally by VFW Post 256, Lehighton.Harry Wynn IV, past Veterans of Foreign Wars commander, Lehighton, presented checks to the top three winners and certificates to the other students for participating in the contest. Winners were Mary Wilhelm, first place; Kennedy Malsch, second place; and Zoryana Duda, third place.Wilhelm, grade 7, received a $50 prize."The first thing I would tell our Founding Fathers would be, "Thank you for all that you did to get us the rights we have today," said Wilhelm. She noted that the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution which gave us and themselves rights such as freedom of speech, religion and the press. She said that telling them they did a great job and had a lot of confidence and courage would be the next thing."Our Founding Fathers deserve to be thanked for all they did for us, they gave us rights, and freedom from England because colonists through they would govern themselves better than England was doing," said Wilhelm.Malsch, grade 7, received a $40 prize."John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington, would all be listening when I told them that what they did would always be remembered," said Malsch. "I would tell them that they made the right decision because they really changed lives. I would explain to these amazing men that this act was the turning point in our pursuit to become a great country."Her essay also won a fourth place award at the District Level.Duda, grade 7, was awarded $30. Her essay thanked the Founding Fathers for making the nation what it is today. Duda was absent from the school assembly.The students will read their essays at the Dinkey Memorial Day services on Sunday, May 26 and again during Memorial Day services at the Ss. Peter and Paul cemetery on Monday, May 27.