2010 Scholarship Question
We wish you luck if you entered the Essay Contest!
The Question for the 2010 Scholarship Year is based on the headlines from recent news regarding Guantánamo Bay. We hope that all contest schools make it a part of an open, honest, unbiased dialog about the Presidency, War Powers, Enemy Combatants, Military Tribunals, and the history surrounding all these topics.
For the FDNY and CCC applicants who will not necessarily be discussing this in class, you should think carefully on the various parts of the question, as it's more complex than it might seem at first.
Elementary/Middle School Question:
On his first day in office, President Obama vowed to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp in Cuba. A year has passed, and while the detention camp remains open, President Obama still pledges to close this military base. How do you feel about this?
- Discuss three reasons why it is a good idea to close the base (if you feel it should be closed) or three reasons why it is a good idea for the base to remain open (if you feel it should remain open).
- What should we do with the many detainees who are still there?
Write an essay which is typed using at least 300–350 words.
- Double-space your essay.
- Print your name of the back of each page. No ID is to appear on the front so that your essay can be judged anonymously.
Scoring
- There will be five Judges for each school, and all judges will use a rubric to score. Points will be awarded for attention to the following:
- Proper focus on the question/topic; answering the question properly [20 points]
- Writing mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.) [10 points]
- Personal voice (visit http://www.efuse.com/Design/wa-voice.html for a discussion of personal voice that may be helpful to you.) [10 points]
- Creativity [10 points]
The highest possible score is 50. The essay with the highest total score from the judges will be deemed the winner. The winner receives an $300 Savings Bond, a plaque specially engraved with their name, and an invitation to be our guest at the Annual Dinner Dance, held on Friday, June 11th, 2010.
High School Question:
On his first day in office, President Obama vowed to close the Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp in Cuba. A year has passed and, while the detention camp remains open, President Obama still pledges to close this military base. How do you feel about this?
- What are your views on President Obama’s decision to close Guantánamo Bay in Cuba?
- How did America come to acquire Guantánamo Bay?
- Why has it been important to have this base?
- What will be the repercussions, if any, for America if this base closes? How can we offset these?
- Currently we have many detainees who have not stood trial. What should we do with these detainees?
Write an essay that addresses all of these questions.
- Use 500–750 words (approximately 2–2½ pages typed, double spaced).
- Double-space your essay. Please try to stay as close to the upper limit as possible.
- Print your name of the back of each page. No ID is to appear on the front so that your essay can be judged anonymously.
Scoring
- There will be five Judges for each school, and all judges will use a rubric to score. Points will be awarded for attention to the following:
- Proper focus on the question/topic; answering the question properly [20 points]
- Writing mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.) [10 points]
- Personal voice (visit http://www.efuse.com/Design/wa-voice.html for a discussion of personal voice that may be helpful to you.) [10 points]
- Creativity [10 points]
The highest possible score is 50. The essay with the highest total score from the judges will be deemed the winner. The winner receives an $8,000 college advanced studies scholarship payable over 4 years, a plaque specially engraved with their name, and an invitation to be our guest at the Annual Dinner Dance, held on Friday, June 11th, 2010.
