Contest targets juniors, seniors

Students are asked to write about what they would
discuss with the president.

AKRON — WVIZ/PBS ideastream and Time Warner Cable are holding a “Kids Speak Out” essay contest for high school students in grades 11 and 12.

The contest runs through March 14.

Five $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to winning entries that best position and support the topic: If you had 30 minutes with the next president of the United States, what issues affecting Ohioans would you want to discuss and why?

The topic is designed to give students a voice on a current public policy issue. Entries are judged based on various criteria including insightfulness, relevance, writing style, spelling and grammar.

Entrants are to write a 500-word essay supporting the topic with examples and details in a double-spaced Microsoft Word document with Times New Roman font type and 12-point font size.

Each submission must include: student’s name, address, city, state, birth date and grade level; name of school (or home school status), school district; e-mail address; and two contact numbers.

Entries must be postmarked by 5 p.m. March 14 and submitted to Rita Bigham either electronically at speakout@ideastream.org or by mail at: Kids Speak Out 2008 Contest, WVIZ/PBS ideastream, 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115.

The “Kids Speak Out” essay contest, which was first held in 2004, will recognize its finalists and special guests, including teachers, parents and community leaders, during an awards luncheon in April 2008. For more information about the essay contest, visit www.wviz.org/speakout.  

“WVIZ/PBS’s Educational Services Department provides services for nearly half a million Northeast Ohio schoolchildren and 34,000 educators,” said Mark Smukler, ideastream Senior Director of Content.