Writing Contest for Grades 9-12

Posted on by ellisnelson

The John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
This is for US high school students in grades 9 through 12. Essays must describe an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1917, the year John F Kennedy was born. The official may have addressed an issue at the local, state, or national level. Essays should be 700-1,000 words and must quote at least five sources.
Value: $10,000, $3,000, $1,000 each for finalists; an award for the nominating teacher of the first-place winner (see here)
Deadline: 12 January 2026
Open for: US high school students
Details here (also click on tabs on the page for various details)

A Book to Reconnect Kids & Nature:

Posted on by ellisnelson

I’ve read some articles about kids losing touch with common, everyday things in nature. How many kids play outside anymore? Any exposure to wild spaces is exotic nowadays. I find in my own adult world, people around me don’t know the name of that black bird (no- it’s not a crow, that’s a raven) or any of the names of the wildflowers in the greenspaces that surround us. We elders ran free in the woods, got filthy, caught everything that moved, and recognized a level of existence that has become invisible to the modern world. Sad really because we need that connection to thrive.

A chance encounter with a lovely book { The Lost Words }