Vermont students win Sanders contest

The contest’s 16th year drew 418 essays submitted from 30 Vermont high schools and was reviewed by a volunteer panel of Vermont educators. (congress.gov)) First-place winner Saralynn Anderson, a junior at Essex High School, proposed legislative measures to expand access to adolescent mental-health care; her essay was entered into the Congressional Record on March 3, 2026. (congress.gov)) Anderson’s recommendations listed in the roundtable summary include hiring additional school-based mental-health professionals and offering free in‑school classes to reduce stigma and increase access for students, proposals Sanders highlighted during the State House discussion. (outreach.senate.gov)) Second-place finisher Max Clegg, a junior at Mount Mansfield Union High School, wrote about corporate concentration of economic power and specifically named asset managers BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street; third place went to Ada Allen, a Craftsbury Academy sophomore, who argued for increased investment in afterschool programs. (outreach.senate.gov)) Essex Westford School District reported that two other Essex High juniors, Andrew Walsh and Matthew Mallory, earned honorable mentions and ranked among the top 15 papers in the statewide contest. (ewsd.org)) Senate outreach material notes 14 Vermont students met with Sanders at the State House for a roundtable and that, since the contest began in 2010, more than 7,000 Vermont students have participated in the annual State of the Union essay program. (outreach.senate.gov))