Entries Sought for 'School to Campus' Community Writing Contest

POTSDAM, NY (10/20/2011)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam is seeking entries from local high school students for its annual school writing contest.

"School to Campus: Connecting Community Writers" sponsors an annual writing contest for students in St. Lawrence County and other Northern New York schools. Winners will receive local gift certificates.

The contest submissions are judged by college teachers and students. Each entry will receive brief written feedback, and winners will be invited to engage in a dialogue about their writing at a gathering in November.

The 2011 contest is open to students in grades 9-12 throughout St. Lawrence County and Northern New York. Next year, the contest will also be open to elementary school students. Students may respond to either a global citizen theme or a global music theme. Details are available at www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Engl/schooltocampus.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, Oct. 28, by 4 p.m. Please mail entries to the SUNY Potsdam Office of Public Affairs, Raymond Hall 606, 44 Pierrepont Ave., Potsdam, NY 13676. To deliver them in person, visit the Public Affairs office on the eighth floor of Raymond Hall.

A gathering and awards ceremony has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. on the SUNY Potsdam campus.

The "School to Campus" writing contest is sponsored by the SUNY Potsdam Office of Academic Affairs, The School of Education and Professional Studies, and the Department of English and Communication.

Summary of global citizen theme: Imagine that you have been invited by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice to plan a trip to three foreign countries, all expenses paid. You will be a junior ambassador, whose purpose is to open young American minds to other cultures. You will have to show that your particular trip can prove the truth of Mark Twain's statement that "travel is fatal to prejudice . . . and narrow-mindedness." Write a letter to Ambassador Rice. In your letter, make a specific proposal for your trip abroad.

Summary of global music theme: You are an artist who has been inspired by a collection of international music. You have decided that one particular piece will shape a story. Create the story by listening closely to one of the musical selections from the list provided in the contest guidelines.

To see other important details about the writing contest, visit the website at www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Engl/schooltocampus/index.cfm.

For more information, please contact the SUNY Potsdam Department of English and Communication at (315) 267-2005.

SUNY Potsdam's Department of English & Communication challenges students to complete a core of courses that explore the varied ways people write, speak and read. To find out more about its rigorous curriculum, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/aas/engl.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.

-www.potsdam.edu-