7th grade student in Woodville wins Packer essay

By Kelsie Hoitomt

Mckenna Mortel is your average 7th grade student at Viking Middle School in Woodville expect for that fact that she is the recent winner of the Packer Essay Contest.

Mortel submitted her essay on why education is important before the month of October and was announced the winner during the week of December 3 for the game against the Lions on December 9.

The writing of the essay is something Viking Middle School teacher Mrs. Curtis does every year as a part of her curriculum.

“I told her the same thing I’ve told my other girls and that is to not get your hopes up too high since this is a state wide thing, but Mckenna was definitely surprised and excited when we got the call,” shared Mckenna’s mom, Becky Mortel.

The contest winner and their family is named the Badger Mutual Insurance Family of the Game. They receive four game tickets, pre-game VIP on-field passes, recognition on the video board during the game and refreshments.

The Mortels are a family of five so Becky stayed home and the four tickets went to Mckenna’s father Scott and her two sisters Brianna and Jenna.

“As you already know, education truly can make a huge difference in our everyday lives! With the opportunity of education we might be able to create a world where everyone can feel safe and make all kids grow up to have a better future. I think that all this has definitely proven this; Education has granted us the opportunity to decipher our own paths, make our own choices, and create this world to be the best it can possibly be,” said Mortel in a excerpt from her essay.