Interested in starting a contest outside of Georgia?
Our how-to-guide will help you get started.
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BENEFITS OF STARTING A LAWS OF LIFE CONTEST
- Provides schools with a proven, easy-to-implement character education program that gives students an authentic purpose for writing.
- Provides teachers with an engaging writing activity that helps them get to know their students better while improving classroom climate and relationships.
- Inspires young people to discover for themselves the core values, principles, and ideals that will guide them wherever they go and whatever they do in life.
- Helps students develop empathy, compassion, and confidence.
- Honors students from all academic ability levels. (Student winners typically include “average students,” academically talented students, and students who struggle with classwork.)
- Gives students the opportunity to write a “personal narrative,” a component of many academic writing standards.
- Provides practice for students’ writing tests and for their college entrance essays.
STARTING A ROTARY-BASED LAWS OF LIFE ESSAY CONTEST
Single Rotary clubs or Rotary Districts can start a local or regional Laws of Life essay contest, freely using the sample teacher guidelines, judging templates, rubrics, and other contest materials herein.
Most contests will operate as follows:
- A Rotary Club or other Rotary entity interested in launching a contest downloads the free contest materials from our website.
- The club decides to either fund the contest on its own or to secure outside funding.
- The club works with school officials, and provides contest materials and teacher training to schools that register. (Schools should be invited to participate free of charge.)
- Teachers introduce the contest to their students.
- Students turn in their essays by the deadline.
- Judges from the Rotary club or district, and/or judges from other sponsors, read, and rank the essays
- The student prize winners are announced, rewarded, and recognized, along with their teachers
