Remember Me!
Student Scholarship Award Competition 2013
Essay Competition:

If your entry is a history essay it must be an individual effort and will reflect your personal opinion and scholarship.  You choose the topic, determine why it is important, research and analyze supporting information, and write a persuasive essay about the topic ’s historical significance. Necessarily, this is a typed or electronically printed essay of original research and it will rely extensively on your correct and effective use of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary to emphasize the importance of the facts you have uncovered and the point of view you present.  You may use diagrams, maps, or other drawings to support your points, but the most significant tool will be the informative and persuasive value of your words.  Make yours an interesting topic choice and have fun writing history and making history! Remember Me!

Suggested preparatory steps to complete the assignment include:
  •Do preliminary investigations to determine a topic of personal interest
  •Use concept mapping or an idea web to identify and show connecting points
•Read and research to gain information about your topic
•Take notes to retain information
•Prepare an outline (preliminary and final) to organize and sequence information
•Write a draft of the information you want to present in the essay
•Edit (for grammar, clarity, etc.) and rewrite

Essay Requirements For Students in Grades 6-8

Use the general information and guidelines given above.  Specific requirements include:  an original essay to demonstrate the importance of the topic you have chosen and give information to show why it should be remembered, or be more celebrated in the history of the United States. Your topic must be related to the causes of The Civil War or US history within the time period 1820 to 1867.

1.  The essay must be your own research and writing, electronically printed and submitted on standard white, 8.5 x 11 inch paper.  Editing and proofreading assistance is allowed.

2.  The text length should be between 500 and 600 words, with numbered pages. Pictures, charts, and maps, may be included and if so, their significance should be stated/described in the text.  Captions for pictures, charts, etc. should be used but are not counted in the text length requirement.

3.  Include a cover page with the title of the essay, name of participant, and school or class.  Also include a reference page to list the sources that were used (no minimum required) to gather information including, but not limited to:  books, newspapers/journals, websites, personal interviews or other unwritten sources.  In your sources list, be sure to include publication information—author, title, date, and publisher.  For interviews with individuals be sure to include the name, date and place of the interview.  Securely staple all pages together.

Remember Me!
Student Scholarship Award Competition
Essay Competition:

If your entry is a history essay it must be an individual effort and will reflect your personal opinion and scholarship.  You choose the topic, determine why it is important, research and analyze supporting information, and write a persuasive essay about the topic’s historical significance. Necessarily, this is a typed or electronically printed essay of original research and it will rely extensively on your correct and effective use of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary to emphasize the importance of the facts you have uncovered and the point of view you present.  You may use diagrams, maps, or other drawings to support your points, but the most significant tool will be the informative and persuasive value of your words.  Make yours an interesting topic choice and have fun writing history and making history! Remember Me!
Suggested preparatory steps to complete the assignment include:
            •Do preliminary investigations to determine a topic of personal interest
            •Use concept mapping or an idea web to identify and show connecting points
•Read and research to gain information about your topic
•Take notes to retain information
•Prepare an outline (preliminary and final) to organize and sequence information
•Write a draft of the information you want to present in the essay
•Edit (for grammar, clarity, etc.) and rewrite

Essay Requirements For Students in Grades 9-12

Use the general information and guidelines given above.  Specific requirements include:
Write an essay to demonstrate the importance of the topic you have chosen and give information to show why it should be remembered, or be more celebrated in the history of the United States. Your topic must be related to the causes of The Civil War or US history within the time period 1820 to 1867.
1.  The essay must be your own research and writing, electronically printed or and submitted on standard white, 8.5 x 11 inch paper.  Editing and proofreading assistance is allowed.

2.  The text length should be between 750 and 1000 words, with numbered pages. Pictures, charts, and maps, may be included and if so, their significance should be referenced/described in the text.  Do not use graphics simply to make your essay longer.  Pictures, charts, etc. should be captioned, but captions are not included in the text length requirement.

3.  You are required to list at least five (5) different sources for your topic and include at least five (5) citations from the sources in your essay.  You may use the standard form for the citation style of your choice—footnotes, endnotes, in-line notation.  Be consistent in form; do not mix different forms of citation in your essay.  Include a separate reference page (bibliography/works cited) to list the sources you used.  Sources may be, but are not limited to:  books, newspapers/journals, websites, personal interviews or other unwritten sources.  In your sources list, be sure to include the author, title, date, and publication information for each source.  For personal interviews be sure to include the date and city of the interview. Securely staple all pages together.

Remember Me!
Student Scholarship Award Competition
Exhibit Competition:

For Students in Grades 6-12

If your entry is a history exhibit, it must be an individual effort and will reflect your personal interpretation.  You choose the topic, determine why it is important, and select the media and materials to illustrate and show why the topic should be remembered because of its role in history.  Your exhibit may be presented in a single media form—such as a drawing or a painting-- or you may combine several media forms to further dramatize the topic.  Here, the use of photographs, artifacts, drawings, models, or text can be combined to make a presentation.  You are preparing and presenting your point of view in a project as if it were a project piece for a museum or historical site.  You are “picturing” history!  Unlike an essay, you are creating a visual interpretation of the topic, so think of topics that best lend themselves to a presentation form such as, but not limited to, a diorama, 3-panel poster, sculpture, interactive participation, or any combination of hands-on or visual components.  Your exhibit must be a self-explanatory, stand alone project.  The student creator will not be expected or allowed to orally “explain how it works.”

Research, creation, and assembling of the exhibit must be your own work.  Limited assistance in the collection of materials for the exhibit is allowed—with emphasis on “collection of materials” only.

Exhibit Requirements For Students in Grades 6-12

Use the general information and guidelines given above.  Specific requirements include:

1.  The exhibit is required to be a stand alone, desktop presentation.  You are allowed to include an explanatory or descriptive card with the exhibit of no more than 125 words.

2.  The exhibit should be able to fit within a 30 inch diameter circle and be no taller than 36 inches (fit on a small table top or desk.)  If a hanging poster, it should fit within these dimensions.  All exhibits must be self-supported (stand alone).

3. Include a separate “Sources” page to identify the title of the exhibit and creator.  List the sources of the media, artifacts, information, etc. used in the exhibit.  This page is not counted toward the 125-word limit for the descriptive card. 

The Civil War Era in United States History

In the winter of 1862-63, during the US Civil War, a call for "Colored Volunteers" to form a combat regiment was authorized by the US Congress and commissioned by the Massachusetts State Legislature. From that call the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the first regiment formed and the volunteer response was so great that a 55th Regiment and a 5th Cavalry Regiment were also formed. Many years later, in 1992, the 54th Massachusetts Company A was formed by a group of interested and dedicated individuals, to recognize and reenact the heroic contributions of the original 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry to the nation. Some of those reenactors were and are the descendants of the original regimental soldiers.

Today, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Company A and The Colored Ladies Christian Relief Society seek to continue that work and to expand interest and knowledge in this aspect of history by sponsoring a student scholarship competition to reward students for excellent work which recalls the history of the United States during its Civil War era. In this way the role of the 54th Massachusetts, and other lesser known events in our history, will become better known. Students will gain historical knowledge and have the opportunity to earn prizes for excellent academic work.