High-school students, teachers can win cash in essay contest

High school students nationwide are invited to participate in the 2008-2009 "Being an American" Essay Contest, which explores the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship.
Administered by the Bill of Rights Institute, a non-profit educational organization in the Washington, D.C. area, the contest offers cash prizes totaling more than $189,000 to students and their teachers. Top prize winners and their teachers also get all-expenses p paid trips to the nation's capital.

"The essay contest challenges high school students to evaluate American citizenship, in light of our founders and our founding documents, and, by doing so, promises to ensure a continuing national
conversation about what unites America and its people," said

Bill of Rights Institute president Victoria Hughes.

This school year is first year in which high school-aged students from every state are eligible to enter the contest. The contest began in 2006-07 in three states and expanded last year to 19 states and the District of Columbia. To date, more than 17,000 students have participated in the contest.

To participate, students are asked to share their thoughts on American citizenship by answering the following question: "What civic value do you believe is most essential to being an American?"
The names of the top three prize winners in each of nine regions will be announced at an awards gala March 31 in Washington, D.C.

The first-place winners in each region and their sponsoring teachers, receive $5,000 cash awards; second-place winners, $2,500; and third-place winners, $1,250. Winning students will explore the nation's capitol, meet contemporary American heroes and national leaders and visit the Supreme Court, National Archives and other national landmarks.
Honorable mention prizes of $250 will be awarded to 63 students, seven from each region.

Teachers are encouraged to incorporate the essay contest topic into the classroom. Lesson plans meeting state and national academic standards and supplemental materials are available for free from the Bill of Rights Institute.

Complete rules and lesson plans are available from the contest's Web site, BeingAnAmerican.org. The site is the only place teachers can submit their students' essays for consideration.
Students and teachers in military schools abroad will be considered in the state/region in which the student is a U.S. resident

Eligible students are in grades 9 through 12 who are U.S. citizens or legal residents and are either attending public, private, religious, or charter schools, being home-schooled, or participating in a GED or correspondence school program. Students cannot be older than 19.

Essays are limited to 750 words and must be submitted by Dec. 1. High school teachers will serve as judges.