Twelve students in the fifth grade in Snoqualmie Valley School District were named winners of the Pay it Forward essay contest, sponsored by the Snoqualmie Valley Kiwanis.

Winners included:

From Cascade View, Sophia Daly and Jade Petrzelka;

Fall City Elementary, Emma Ducoeur, Amber Fleschute and Elizabeth Leitman;

North Bend Elementary, Tia Dilley, Sasha Vraspir and Sydney Yocom;

Opstad Elementary, Megan Gonzalez and Jamie Quilizapa; and

Snoqualmie Elementary, Sophie Maples and Miriam Ricks.

Families of the winners were invited to school, as a surprise to the students, to see their young writers honored by a Kiwanis representative.

The students read their inspiring essays to their classmates and each received a $50 cash reward from Kiwanis.

Pay it Forward encourages students to perform acts of kindness and share their stories. Approximately 240 students participated in the annual contest.

To learn more about Snoqualmie Valley Kiwanis, find them on Facebook.