This email serves as a second reminder that the First Freedom Student Competition is gearing up for the 2007/2008 school year. This first-semester national essay contest offers 9^th - 12^th grade students an opportunity to compete for a $3,000, $1,500 and $750 award, as they examine the First Amendment and the history and relevance of religious freedom in America and the world today. 

This year participating students will enjoy being a part of a scenario, in which, their senator has invited select high-school students from public, private, parochial and home-school regions to prepare a research essay to be read at a congressional hearing. The essay will address the topic: "Free exercise is an essential component of the First Amendment's definition of religious freedom. What did free exercise mean when it was first ratified and became part of the Constitution? How is it interpreted today? Is the free exercise of religion adequately protected in America's public schools today?"

In preparation for this hypothetical presentation to Congress, students will touch on colonial history, current events, and the impact of the First Amendment and other key documents. For more details on the topic, competition guidelines and registration, and for a bulletin-board poster and student flyer, visit http://www.firstfreedom.org/, and then click on the red button under Council News.

If you did not sign up last spring for the free DVD and free manual, The Constitution and Religion in the Classroom, we invite you to click on the blue button under the competition button to learn more.

We look forward to your competition participation!

Isabelle Kinnard, JD, Ph.D.
Vice President for Education
Council for America's First Freedom
1321 E. Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219-3629
Phone: (804) 643-1786
Fax: (804) 644-5024
competition@firstfreedom.org

Visit us on the Web at: http://www.firstfreedom.org/

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