Chatham student's essay about Kevin Vickers wins top prize

A Grade 12 student from Ursuline College in Chatham was honoured on Parliament Hill on Thursday when she received first prizein a national writing contest for her essay on former sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers.

Working with the theme "Lives That Make a Difference," Ashley Ennett wrote about Vickers and his actions in the 2014 Ottawa terror attack.

"A true patriot is now a person who embodies Canadian values like sacrifice, hard work, and humility and shares those values with the world," Ennett wrote.

Ennett was one of several winners from around the country, chosen from thousands of submissions in the nationwide contest.

Vickers, now the Ambassador to Ireland, was part of the prize presentation Thursday, encouraging students to express their thoughts on events happening around them.

CBC's Peter Mansbridge, was there by video, and was also the subject of one of the other winning essay.

He "was, and still is, the perfect example of how to stay calm in a crisis situation," wrote Ottawa Grade 8 student Sara Ilkmen.

Mansbridge congratulated the students saying, "What you do will influence others, because courage is contagious."

Ashley Ennett will receive $2,000 and her teacher will receive $1,000 for use in her classroom.

"This year we had an exceptional group of winners" said Libby O'Connell, senior vice-president, A&E, the contest's title sponsor. "The stories that Kate, Haley, Sara and Ashley wrote about their heroes remind us that there are many Canadians making a real and meaningful impact on the lives of young people across the country."

You can read Ennett's essay on Vickers below:

In recent years the word hero has started to lose its meaning. Adults idolize athletes and musicians. Comic books and movies make children associate heroes with extra-terrestrials endowed with superpowers. On October 22, 2014, however, Canadians found a new hero.

On this day, Staff Sergeant Kevin Vickers helped Canadians redefine what it means to be a hero when he took out assassin, Michael Zehaf- Bibeau on Parliament Hill. Zehaf- Bibeau had just come from The National War Memorial where he fatally shot soldier, Nathan Cirrillo and was prepared to wreak havoc on Parliament Hill. He did not even carry a gun with him but Vickers acted calmly, quickly and decisively, risking his life in the service of his country.

While Vickers's actions are commendable, it was his reaction to the accolades he received that makes his influence so far reaching. In a statement made by him following the event he diverted the credit to his security team and Speaker of the House, Andrew Scheer.

The bravery, selflessness and humility that Vickers has displayed alters the meaning of both heroism and patriotism. When once heroes were boastful and proud, Canadians now recognize a hero as someone who lets their actions do the talking. It is no longer enough to watch hockey and wear red on July 1 anymore either. Vickers set the bar higher for all Canadians with his dedication to this country. A true patriot is now a person who embodies Canadian values like sacrifice, hard work and humility and shares those values with the world. Above all, a true patriot loves this country and would sacrifice anything to protect her. With this new and stronger identity, Canadians are uniting to create a greater Canada and proudly presenting it to the world and we all have Kevin Vickers to thank.