16th Annual CHARACTER COUNTS! Essay Contest
Nominate an “Adult Hero in OUR Community”
An opportunity for elementary and middle school students to reflect upon and write about a person they admire and the value and ethics their “hero” exemplifies.
Presented by the City of Gaithersburg and the Gaithersburg Rotary Club
This annual essay contest is open to all Elementary and Middle School students in the greater Gaithersburg area. Members of the Gaithersburg Rotary Club and the CHARACTER COUNTS (CC!) subcommittee of Gaithersburg’s Educational Enrichment Committee will judge the essays on:
· Connection to the Six Pillars of Character (5 points)
· Clarity of why the person is important in the student’s life (15 points)
· Inspirational quality (10 points)
· Spelling and grammar (5 points)
Submission Instructions:
· Use nomination form to nominate someone over 18 years of age.
· Nominee must have had a positive, personal influence in the student’s life according to one or more of the Six Pillars of Character.
· Entries must be typed, double spaced (250 word maximum) in Microsoft Word in 11-point font. Handwritten entries will NOT be accepted.
· Entries will be judged blindly. Provide information as requested on the first page of the nomination form and the typed essay on the second page.
Deadline to Submit Entries: Monday, September 28, 2015 by 4 p.m.
Please email entries to .
Notification of Results: October, 2015. Results will be emailed to the schools. We request that principals/teachers notify the Winners, Honorable Mentions and their families.
Prizes and Awards Presentation: The winning essays will be posted on the City’s website, and the winners and honorable mentions will be presented with awards at a ceremony in October 2015. The five winners will be invited to read their essays. Both the five winners and the five honorable mentions will receive a gift card, a framed printed copy of their essay, and a Certificate of Recognition. The ten nominated heroes will each receive a framed copy of the essay. Winners and honorable mentions, their families, nominees, principals and teachers are invited to the awards ceremony.
Certificates of Participation: The City will provide all students who submitted entries but did not win with Certificates of Participation.
For more information about the CHARACTER COUNTS! program, contact the City’s Community Services Division at 301-258-6395, , or visit the City’s website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov.
Nomination Form for the City of Gaithersburg
“ADULT HERO IN OUR COMMUNITY” CONTEST
Co-sponsored by the City of Gaithersburg and the Gaithersburg Rotary Club
Your name ______Principal’s name ______
Your address ______
Your school ______School phone # ______
Your grade level ______
Name and relationship of Adult Hero______
Name of sponsoring teacher ______
Email address of teacher ______
You must use page two of this form to type your 250-word essay in Microsoft Word format, double spaced, 11 point type.