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2010 High School First Amendment Essay Contest!
DUE DATE: Wednesday, February 3, 2010. Entries received after 8 PM that date will not be considered.
CONTEST TOPIC
The confederate flag is a controversial symbol, which can mean different things to different people.
When, if ever, does the First Amendment permit students to wear or display the confederate flag at a public school?
RESOURCES
Courts across the U.S. have both upheld and rejected school bans on the flag. As you prepare your essay consider the following cases (and feel free to research your own).
Bragg v. Swanson ruled in favor of the student's right to free expression.
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=15405
B.W.A. v. Farmington R-7 School District was ruled in favor of the school district's right to prevent disruptions.
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=21186
This year the town of Suffield has been working to answer the question in their school community. The Hartford Courant did two articles on their experience click here to read the articles.
Please note: When writing your essay you should consider your personal experiences and opinions. Winning entries in the past have been based on students' own opinion and experiences as well as on real cases that have helped develop the law.
2010 Essay Contest Submission Form [pdf]
2010 Essay Contest Flyer [pdf]
WHO CAN ENTER: All Connecticut high school students are eligible to participate.
FORMAT: No entries may exceed 1000 words.
PRIZES: $ 1,000 Ethel S. Sorokin Prize, $500 Second Prize, $250 Third Prize, and Honorable Mention at the discretion of the Judges.
Awards will be given at the Annual Milton Sorokin Symposium in April 2010.
REQUIREMENTS:
* Each entry must be type-written and double-spaced.
* Each entry must include name, address, telephone number, email address, school name and how entrant heard about the contest.
* All entries must be received byFebruary 3, 2010. Electronic submission is strongly encouraged.
* One entry per student.
* Student must be enrolled in a Connecticut high school.
Submissions may be e-mailed to pdoyle@acluct.org or mailed to the ACLU-CT.
Winners will be notified by mail. Submissions are the property of the ACLU Foundation of Connecticut. Entrants give permission to ACLUF-CT to take photos of winners for publicity purposes.
A balanced panel of experts will judge entries based on: understanding of the First Amendment, persuasiveness, creativity, and grammar.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call contact Patrick Doyle at 860-523-9146 x213
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government."-The First Amendment
2009 High School First Amendment Essay Contest
IN WHAT CIRCUMSTANCE, IF ANY, SHOULD A PUBLIC SCHOOL HAVE THE RIGHT TO DISCIPLINE A STUDENT FOR THEIR SPEECH OFF CAMPUS?
The ACLU-CT is proud to announce the 2009 essay contest winners:
First Place: Ben Wilbanks, Greenwich High School
Second Place: Cheetiri Smith, West Haven High School
Third Place: Anna Schlessinger, Westhill High School
CONTENTS: When preparing your entry consider your own personal experiences, as well as some of the court cases that have sought to interpret where the line might be. Some significant cases include Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (decided in 1987 and widely available) and Doninger v. Niehoff. (a Connecticut case decided this year; you can read the decision here and watch a video on reaction at www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ0HVqVPeZ0&feature=related). Please do not simply recite the First Amendment and the freedoms it protects. All of the judges reading your entry will be familiar with the subject. We want to know what it means to you, how you feel it impacts your life or what circumstances in your life are affected by it.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government."-The First Amendment
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