STATE OF FLORIDA
Office of the Governor
THE CAPITOL
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32399-0001
JEB
BUSH
GOVERNOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
ELIZABETH HIRST
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2002 (850)-488-5394
GOVERNOR BUSH INVITES FLORIDA STUDENTS TO
PARTICIPATE IN ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH ESSAY
CONTEST
- -Top Elementary, Middle and High School Students to Receive Full Scholarships- -
TALLAHASSEE
--Governor Jeb Bush today invited Florida K-12 students to
participate in the Governor’s annual Black History Month
“Remembering the Past,
Celebrating the Future”
essay
contest
.
Students’ essays must be written on the topic,
“How Florida’s African-American leaders or groups during the Civil Rights Era, 1948-
1969, impacted my life?”
“It is important that Florida’s children are educated about the history of all
Floridians, especially the achievements of African-Americans,” Governor Bush said.
“This is an excellent opportunity to educate Florida’s students about African-American
contributions to Florida, showcase their creativity and reward them f
or their talent.”
The contest is open to all of Florida’s K-12 students. A panel of educators,
community and business leaders from around the state will serve as judges and select the
winning essays. One winner will be selected from each of the three grade-level
categories, elementary (grades K-5), middle (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12).
Winners will receive a trip to Tallahassee to attend the annual Black History Month
Reception at the Governor’s Mansion and a full 4-year tuition scholarship to a state
college or university of their choice, provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation.
Guidelines are as follows:
•
Entries must be emailed to blackhistoryessay@myflorida.com
<mailto:blackhistoryessay@myflorida.com>, or mailed to the Governor’s
Mentoring Office, 906 the Capitol, Tallahassee, FL, 32399, by 5:00p.m.
Wednesday, January 8, 2003.
•
Each student may enter one essay no longer than 500 words in length.
•
Essays submitted must include: contestant’s name, home address, telephone
number, school the student attends, grade level and title of the essay.
Partners of this year's essay contest include, the Florida Black Caucus and the Mary
Brogan Museum of Arts and Science. Sponsors for the essay contest include, the Florida
Lottery and Apple Computers.
“Education is the key to achieving the American Dream,” Black Caucus Vice Chair
Rep. Ed Jennings said. “Our connection to our history is important to the next generation
of Florida's African-American youth. We stand on the shoulders of those who have come
before us. Their efforts blazed the trail for us to serve today. It is my hope that the young
men and women who enter this contest will find this trail and follow it to create their
place in history.”
Those interested in participating in the essay contest or for a complete copy of the
contest rules, visit the Governor’s Mentoring Initiative website at www.flamentoring.org
<http://www.flamentoring.org> or call (850) 413-0911 for more information.
Please see attached complete guideline sheet.
“ Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Future”
Governor Jeb Bush’s
annual Black History Month Essay Contest
Official Rules and Guidelines
Governor Jeb Bush’s annual Black History Month Essay Contest is open to all K-12
students in the state of Florida. Three winners will be selected: one elementary (K-5
student), one middle (6-8 student) and one high school (9-12 student) student. Winners
will be notified on
January 28, 2003.
•
Entries must be emailed to blackhistoryessay@myflorida.com
<mailto:blackhistoryessay@myflorida.com>, or mailed to Cristal Cole in the
Governor’s Mentoring Office, 909 the Capitol, Tallahassee, FL, 32399, by
5:00p.m. Wednesday, January 8, 2003.
•
Essays should address the following topic:
“How Florida’s African-American
Leaders or Groups During the Civil Rights Era, 1948-1969, Impacted My
Life.”
•
Each student may enter only one essay.
•
Essays should be no longer than 500 words in length.
•
A parent must sign or type name on a waiver form allowing publication of the
student’s essay in the event that they are selected as a winner. Parental waiver
can be obtained by logging onto the Governor’s Black History Month webpage on
the myflorida <http://www.myflorida.com/>. webportal or www.flamentoring.org
<http://www.flamentoring.org>. A parental waiver must accompany.
•
Essays submitted must include: contestant’s name, home address, telephone
number, school the student attends, grade level and title of the essay.
•
Winners will receive a 4-year full tuition scholarship to any Florida state college
or university of their choice, provided by Florida Prepaid Education Foundation.
•
All travel and lodging expenses will be paid for the winners and their immediate
family members. Winners will be awarded their scholarships at the Governor’s
annual Black History Month reception, which will be held on February 3, 2003 at
the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee.
•
Contact Cristal Cole in the Governor’s Mentoring Initiative Office at (850) 410-
0696, Leslie Steele in the Governor’s Press office at (850) 922-9107 or Suzette
Maylor at (850) 410-0501 for any further questions.
•
All essays must be submitted in one of the following formats:
Simple text(.txt)
Rich Test Format(.rtf)
Microsoft Word (.doc)
Release Form
“ Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Future”
Essay Contest
Student name:
Grade level:
Name of School:
Home Address:
Home telephone number:
Release Statement
:
As parent or guardian, I acknowledge that my child has written the attached essay.
Should he or she win the essay contest, I agree to allow their essay to be distributed
publicly.
Signature or parent name and contact phone number:
__________________________________________
Parent Signature
__________________________________________
Parent Telephone Number
