Knoxville and Greeneville Division 2021 Civics Essay Packet - Knoxville and Greeneville DivisionThe United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Knoxville and Greeneville Divisions, in partnership with the Knoxville and Greeneville Chapters of the Federal Bar Association, is sponsoring a local civics essay contest. Each year, the national Federal Bar Association (FBA) sponsors a civics essay contest, which is open to middle and high school students nationwide and, for 2021, provides six cash awards totaling $4,500. The Knoxville and Greeneville divisions of the federal court and local chapters of the FBA want to encourage local students to participate in the national contest by offering cash awards for high school students who submit entries to both the national and local contests. The local contest is open to public, private, and home high school students from Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, and Washington Counties. The topic for the national and local essay contests is the same, as detailed below: "What Does It Mean to Support and Defend the Constitution?" To enter the local contest, students must write an essay for submission to both the national and local contests, following the criteria and rules for the national contest (described in detail below). Essay entries for the local contest must be submitted in either PDF, DOC, or DOCX format and must be accompanied by the attached submission form for receipt by 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2021, at the local contest email address, KXGVcivicsessay@gmail.com. (Please note that the national contest deadline is also March 31, 2021; however, entries for the local and national contests must be submitted separately.) Prizes for the local contest will be awarded in at least the following amounts: Winners of the local contest will be announced by May 15, 2021, and the winners, along with their parents and teachers, will be invited to a celebration event with federal judges and members of the local chapters of the Federal Bar Association. The winning authors and entries will also be announced in a court press release and recognized on the federal court's civics website and at meetings of the Knoxville and Greeneville chapters of the FBA. Please spread the word and encourage your students to participate! If you have any questions, please contact KXGVcivicsessay@gmail.com. |
Chattanooga and Winchester Division 2021 Civics Essay Packet - Chattanooga and Winchester DivisionThe United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee - Chattanooga and Winchester Divisions, in partnership with the Chattanooga Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (EDTN/CCFBA), is sponsoring a local civics essay contest. Each year, the national Federal Bar Association (FBA) sponsors a civics essay contest open to middle and high school students nationwide. The EDTN/CCFBA encourage local students to participate by offering its own prizes for high school students who submit entries to both the national and local contests. The local contest is open to public, private, and home school students from Bedford, Bledsoe, Bradley, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Lincoln, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, Moore, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Warren, and Van Buren Counties. The topic for both contests is the same, as explained in the attached flyer: "What Does It Mean to Support and Defend the Constitution?" All government officials must swear to support the Constitution. The presidential oath is the most well-known and is the only one set out word-for-word in the Constitution, requiring the President to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution." But all federal and state legislators, executives, and judges must also swear to support the Constitution. And naturalized citizens must swear to support and defend the Constitution. The FBA asks students to consider what it means to support and defend the Constitution, why an oath to do so is or is not important, and what that oath means, among other questions. Please see the attached flyer for a more detailed description. To enter the local EDTN/CCFBA contest, we invite students to write an essay for submission to both contests, based upon the criteria and rules outlined for the national contest (attached). Submissions are due March 31, 2021, and must be made separately. Submissions to the EDTN/CCFBA contest may be made by email to chattcivicsessay@gmail.com. If email is not available, entries may be mailed or delivered to: Prizes for the local contest will be awarded as follows: Winners of the local contest will be announced no later than May 14, 2021, and the winners, along with their parents and teachers, will be invited to a special reception with members of the selection committee. The reception may be in-person or virtual, depending on the public-health situation at the time. The winning authors and entries will also be recognized and published on the EDTN's civics website and at the CCFBA's Annual Meeting. Please spread the word and encourage your students to participate! Should you have any questions, please contact chattcivicsessay@gmail.com |
