Shawano Area Writers is pleased to announce that former Menominee Tribal Chairman Gary Besaw will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the 2018 George Putz Jr. Memorial Student Writing Contest awards ceremony on Saturday, at the Mielke Arts Center in Shawano. The event honors those students from Menominee and Shawano counties who submitted winning entries in the 12th annual writing competition. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. and is open to the public. Besaw is an enrolled member of the Menominee Tribe and has served on the tribal legislature for 11 years, holding positions as chairman, vice chair, and secretary. He has served as vice president of student services for the College of Menominee Nation and as part of a tribal Menominee language curriculum initiative. In addition to Besaw, the program features a keynote address by author Marshall J. Cook.