(NAME-MCE) Announcing TAP's 2007-2008 International Essay Contest

[TAPOrg at aol.com]

Dear All,
 
It is my honor to be able to share with you TAP's 8th Annual  International 
Essay Contest for middle school and high school  students. The contest 
officially opened on October 1, 2007 and  runs through December 15, 2007.  You will 
notice that, as in most  years, there are separate questions for middle school 
and high school  students.  I am copying and pasting the letter with all the  
pertinent information into the body of this e-mail. Contest information is also 
 posted on our website at _www.teachersagainstprejudice.org_ 
(http://www.teachersagainstprejudice.org)   
 
Please feel free to share the contest not only with your students but also  
with your colleagues, friends, family members and anyone else you'd like.   As 
every year, the TAP Board put a great deal of thought into  the essay contest 
questions.  This year, in the high school  division, we especially wanted to 
focus on elections taking place in  many countries throughout the world 
including, but not limited to, the  U.S.
 
One of the highlights of the year for TAP is receiving and reading the  
entries which in past years have come from students in public schools,  independent 
schools and students who are home schooled.  Entries have come  from 
throughout the U.S. and from Beijing, China, and Seoul, Korea.   This year, we hope to 
have even more of a global impact.  
 
If any of you are interested in being a judge for this year's contest and  
would like more information on what this entails, please e-mail TAP at  
contest at teachersagainstprejudice.org  It is one of the most  unforgettable experiences 
you can have!  Please remember, this essay  contest empowers students not 
only by having them share their thoughts and  solutions on the topics of 
prejudice and discrimination, via media, it also  enables them to teach others as the 
winning essays are posted to the website and  downloaded by educators, 
students, and parents around the world.
 
So, without further ado, I give you the 2007-2008 TAP International Essay  
Contest!
 
Thank you,
 
Elise Klein
President
Teachers Against Prejudice
 
Phone: 203-801-0257
Fax: 203-801-0258
E-mail:  _taporg at aol.com_ (mailto:taporg at aol.com) , 
_elise at teachersagainstprejudice.org_ (mailto:elise at teachersagainstprejudice.org) 
Website:  _www.teachersagainstprejudice.org_ 
(http://www.teachersagainstprejudice.org) 
 
 
 
Dear Principal or Language Arts Chair, 
Please allow me to introduce myself: my name is Elise  Klein and I am the 
president of TAP, Teachers Against Prejudice. We are a  grassroots non-profit 
organization composed of educators, parents, and concerned  citizens whose 
mission is to increase awareness and examine the causes and roots  of prejudice and 
discrimination; open dialogue with students and teachers from  elementary 
school through college; and promote understanding and respect for all  through the 
critical exploration and analysis of films, television, and other  media. 
We are conducting our Eighth Annual International  Essay and Media Contest to 
commence on October 1, 2007; the deadline is  December 15, 2007. The winners 
will be notified by March 1, 2008 and,  with permission, winning entries will 
be posted on our website on April 15,  2008. This contest is open to all 
students enrolled in grades 5 through 12 in  public and independent schools. We 
will have two separate categories, one for  middle school students (grades 5—8) 
and one for high school students (grades  9—12). The essay questions, judging 
criteria, and prizes are listed below.  Winning entries from previous years can 
be viewed at:  www.teachersagainstwww.teachewww 
We hope your teachers will work with their students on  this important theme. 
We welcome and encourage their participation in this  contest. We trust it 
will help to hone students’ critical thinking skills as  well as provide a forum 
for their creativity. In addition, if you have any  teachers on your staff 
who are interested in helping us judge the entries we  receive, please have them 
contact us.  
Middle School Question 
There are many movies and TV programs which demonstrate  why it is important 
to value people for who they are rather than to judge them  based solely on 
their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or  disability. 
Other films and TV programs reinforce prejudice and  stereotypes. 
Write an essay showing how, in your opinion, a specific  movie or TV program 
can be used at your school to raise awareness of prejudice  and discrimination 
while teaching students to respect each other. Which movie or  TV program 
would you recommend? Why do you believe this movie or TV program  would impact 
the students who watch it? How do you think students might change  their 
behavior, upon seeing this film or program, to be more accepting,  appreciative and 
respectful of others? 
Essays must not exceed 750 words, and must be typed or  neatly written, 
clearly organized and answer all parts of the  question. 
High School  Question 
France, Latvia and India have recently had elections. In  2007, Argentina, 
Pakistan, East Timor, Turkmenistan, South Korea, Slovenia,  Kenya and other 
countries, are scheduled to hold elections. In 2008, the U.S.,  Russia, Paraguay, 
and the Republic of China (Taiwan), among others, are  scheduled to hold 
elections.  
Examine the way  presidential and prime ministerial candidates are portrayed 
in the media. Does  the media concentrate too much on a candidate being of a 
specific race, religion  and/or gender and not enough on a candidate’s 
perspective on the issues? How  large a role does the media play and how great an 
impact does the media have, on  who will be elected as the next President or Prime 
Minister of your country? In  your essay, please state your own opinion on 
the role of the media in the  electoral process and, if you think it needs to be 
changed, what you think can  be done to improve the process.  
Essays must not exceed 1000 words, must be typed or  neatly written, clearly 
organized, and must address all parts of the question.   
Criteria:    For  contact purposes only, all students must include their 
name, home  address, contact phone number, school name, school phone number and 
grade. Also  include an e-mail address, if available.  
Entries will not be returned and become the property of  TAP.  
All entries must be postmarked by December 15,  2007. 
Send entries to:       
Teachers Against  Prejudice 
58  Pine Street 
New Canaan, CT  06840 
or e-mail: _contest at teachersagainstprejudice.org_ 
(mailto:contest at teachersagainstprejudice.org)  
Prizes:     First and second place prizes will be awarded separately for 
middle  school and high school students. 
First place: $200 U.S. Savings Bond  
Second place: $100 U.S. Savings  Bond 
Prizes of comparable value will be awarded for those who  reside outside of 
the United States 
Based on previous results, we anticipate a good response  and want to make 
sure that your students are included in this timely, relevant  discussion. 
Sincerely, 
Elise Klein 
President
 
 




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