Fleet Reserve Association’s patriotic essay contest open to students

The Fleet Reserve Association Branch 137 invites all students in grades 7 through 12 to participate in the 2017 Americanism Essay Contest.

Participants are invited to submit a 350-word essay centered on this year’s theme: “What Patriotism Means to Me.”

The national contest, sponsored by FRA to promote a spirit of patriotism among America’s youth, offers a grand national prize of $5,000, with other recognition in each grade category.

Each entrant must be sponsored by an FRA member or branch. Home schooled students in the Tahoe-Carson Valley are also invited.

Winners are selected at the branch level in each grade category, which are forwarded to compete in one of FRA’s eight regions. Regional winners are then forwarded to the Association’s National Americanism Committee, where first-, second- and third-place winners are selected in each grade category. The Grand National winner is selected from this elite group of writers and receives a $5,000 cash award.

Essays must be legibly written or typed on one side of the paper and each entry must include a separate sheet stating the entrant’s name, address, telephone number, name of school (or “home schooled”) and grade, the number of words in the essay, and name of the sponsoring member or branch.