The Four County Council of the American Legion Auxiliary has announced the winners of the Americanism essay contest.

The Four County Council consists of American Legion Auxiliaries in Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties.The title of the essay is "What does freedom mean to my family?" Each winner was chosen from several essays that were selected by their local sponsoring auxiliary units and forwarded to council for further competition.They now have been forwarded to the district level of the competition.Those winners are: fourth-grade Shull-David Elementary student Ethan Heiser, sponsored by Unit 314 Lehighton; fifth-grade Lehighton Area Middle School student Madison Brown, also sponsored by Unit 314 Lehighton; eighth-grade St. John Neuman Palmerton student Natalie Matsko, sponsored by Unit 899 Walnutport; and 11th-grade Lehighton Area High School student Kyley Bandholz, sponsored by Unit 314 Lehighton.Each winner received a certificate and a gift card.