REGINA COELI COUNCIL, KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

MEMORIAL DAY ESSAY CONTEST– SAINTS PETER & PAUL HIGH SCHOOL

As devotion and fidelity to God and Country are essential attributes to one’s life, the Regina Coeli Council of the Knights of Columbus of Easton, Maryland is proud to sponsor the following essay contest for the students of Saints Peter & Paul School. Open to students in the 9th and 10th Grades.

I. ESSAY THEMES

9th Grade - Theological Prompt (Theology):

● Jesus expressed His command of charity to us, telling us to "love one another."; Explain how and why we should give of ourselves to others in this life.

10th Grade - Patriotic Prompt (Social Studies):

● Discuss one day in American history when members of our military paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country and to preserve our way of life. What does it mean to you?

II. TIMELINE

● Friday, April 28: Essay contest announced to freshmen and sophomores

● Friday, May 12: Essays due to local SSPP teachers (Social Studies or Theology). This is a graded homework assignment for all students. A scoring committee of teachers will select the Top 7 essays from each grade to submit to the Knights of Columbus panel.

● Friday, May 19: Top 7 essays per grade is due to the Knights of Columbus (3 name redacted copies).

● Tuesday, May 23: Essays scored and ranked by Knights of Columbus panel.

● Friday, June 2: Winners announced at school Morning Meeting

● Monday, June 5: Awards ceremony/dinner to recognize 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place recipients in each grade level contest.

III. ESSAY REQUIREMENTS

● MLA Format: Follow all MLA guidelines for spacing, margins, pagination, and headers. Please

include your First Name/Last Name/Grade in header

● Length: Limited to 400-500 words. No more than three, double-spaced, typed pages

IV. AWARDS/SCHOLARSHIP

● Each grade level will receive the following:

○ 1st Place -- $500 award (tuition voucher for SSPP 2023-24 academic year)

○ 2nd Place -- $250 award

○ 3rd Place -- $100 award

● 1st Place winners will also receive an engraved award plaque from the Knights of Columbus