DAYTON — The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) invite all students to enter the Americanism Contest. Elementary school students may enter a poster contest, middle school students may enter a brochure or a video contest, and high school students may enter the video, an essay or oration contest. All contests are open to public school, parochial, or home-schooled students. The contests are conducted in three phases: the local chapter, state-level, and national competitions. Recognition and monetary prizes are available at each level.
Each contest must be entered through a SAR chapter near the student’s residence. In this area, the local chapter is the Richard Montgomery Chapter in Dayton. Official rules for each contest can be found on the SAR website, (wwww.SAR.org) under the “Youth Programs” tab. Deadline to enter each contest is Dec. 31. Contact information for the Richard Montgomery Chapter is [email protected] or phone 937-335-7345.
Th eposter contest is open to all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. The theme is “Revolutionary War People or Person.” Judging with be on originality, artistic merit, and evidence of research. The poster should be a flexible board 22 inches x 28 inches. An official entry form (available on the SAR website) must be attached to the back of the poster.
The Brochure contest is open to students in the 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th grades. The contest is to create a tri-fold brochure out of a typical 8 ½” x 11″ piece of paper. The student should research and create their brochure on one of the five foundational documents in the American Revolutionary War: 1. Articles of Confederation; 2. Declaration of Independence; 3. Constitution; 4. Federalist Papers; and 5. Bill of Rights. The brochure will be judged on: Content, Creativity and Correctness. The judging criteria rates highest personally drawn artwork and text authored by the student as opposed to cut and paste from books, magazines and the Internet.
The video contest is open to students in grades 6 through 12. Contestants will submit a video presentation three to five minutes in length. The subject of the entry should focus on an event, personality, document, or topic pertaining to the American Revolution. The style, approach, and perspective are not limited. The entry may be in the form of a documentary, dramatization, interview, advertisement, rap, etc. Creativity is encouraged.
The essay contest is open all high school students (9th through 12th grades). To participate, students must submit an original 800 to 1,200-word essay based on an event, person, philosophy or ideal associated with the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, or the framing of the United States Constitution. Each student’s essay will be judged based upon its historical accuracy, clarity, organization, grammar and spelling, and documentation.
The oration contest is also for high school students (9th through 12th grades). Participants must write an original oration of not less than five minutes, or more than six minutes. The oration must be delivered from memory and without the use of notes or any kind of props. The subject of the oration shall deal with an event, a personality, or a document pertaining to the Revolutionary War with an emphasis on the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. It is essential that each oration show the relationship it bears to America today. Evidence of historical research and creative presentation are also important. The oration will be judged based upon its composition, delivery, significance, historical accuracy, and relevance to SAR’s 250th anniversary.
The Sons of the American Revolution is a non-profit charitable organization affiliated with the Ohio Society and National Society of the SAR, whose members have proven their ancestry to patriotic activity during the Revolutionary War and the founding of the United States of America. The Richard Montgomery Chapter of the SAR meet at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month (except for a summer break of July and August) at the Dayton Masonic Center, 525 W. Riverview Avenue, Dayton. Interested parties in membership, potential programs, and guests should call 937-335-7345 or email [email protected] for more information. Check out the Richard Montgomery website and Facebook page for more information.
