Sam Johnson invites middle school students to compete in the Patriotic Essay Contest
Deadline Wednesday, November 5th
Washington,
Oct 8 -
Today U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (3rd Dist.-Texas) invited Third District middle school students to compete in the second annual Patriotic Essay contest. The theme for this year’s essay contest is “What America means to me.” Students have until November 5th to submit an original essay.
The purpose of the middle school contest is to promote patriotism among pre-teens and adults in homes, schools and neighborhoods. To participate in the contest, students must live within the Third District. Only essays from middle school students attending public, private, or home schools will be considered. Those interested may download the guidelines and student/parent release form here.
“Patriots come in all shapes and sizes and ages and stages. I hope that middle school students will participate and write about their pride in America,” said Johnson.
Participants must submit type-written essays between 400 and 500 words. The broad theme, “What America means to me” will allow students to get creative. Students may not identify themselves, their school, or their parents within the essay. An all-volunteer panel of community leaders will judge the essays and select a winner.
To prevent the panelists from knowing who wrote an essay, students must turn in the essay to Johnson’s District Office with a cover page with the student’s full name; title of essay; school; teacher; and grade. To ensure that every writer gets an equal chance, the cover page will be removed from the essay and the essay will be identified by a number. Any essay text containing a student’s name or personal-identifying information will be disqualified.
“My staff and I go to great lengths to ensure that all Third District young residents feel like that they have a way to make a difference in their community. Middle school students can compete in the patriotic essay contest. Elementary school kids hand-make ‘Valentines for Veterans.’ High school students may serve on the Congressional Youth Advisory Council. It’s important to give middle school students an opportunity to make their contribution and be recognized. A patriotic essay does just that. Hopefully this essay contest will inspire fun, family discussions at home and at school,” stated Johnson.
Johnson referred to two popular programs for Third District young people: 1) Valentines for Veterans, a successful district-wide campaign when school children create “Valentines for Veterans” that Johnson delivers personally to the Dallas Veterans’ Hospital; and 2) the Congressional Youth Advisory Council, a group that provides Johnson with greater student perspective on issues relevant to younger Americans.
To be considered, completed essays must be received in Johnson’s district office by 4:00pm on Wednesday, November 5th, located at 2929 North Central Expressway, Suite 240, in Richardson.
For more information or assistance, contact Deanna Kuykendall at (972) 470-0892 or by email at deanna.kuykendall@mail.house.gov.
Johnson represents portions of Dallas and Collin Counties. The cities include: Allen, north Dallas, Frisco, Garland, McKinney, Murphy, Parker, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, Sachse, and Wylie.
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