January 9, 2017
Dear Teachers:
The Sister Rose Thering Fund for Education in Jewish-Christian Studies is pleased to announce the Eighth
Annual Essay Competition in conjunction with the film, Sister Rose’s Passion, which has been distributed
through the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education. The Fund, named in honor and memory of
Sister Rose Thering, O.P., Ph.D., who devoted her life to reducing prejudice and promoting dialogue among
all people, is offering this competition for high school students in grades 9 through 12.
To those teachers who have already taken advantage of the gift of the DVD sent to your school, we are most
appreciative that you found the time to show the film either to your classes or your colleagues. Students who
have entered the competition during the past seven years have shown an exceptional understanding of who
Sister Rose was and what she did to promote better understanding among all people.
The theme for this year’s essay focuses on peace and asking students how they, too, can be “agents of peace,”
so needed in our world today. As in previous years, there will be four First Place monetary prizes awarded,
one for each high school grade level. In addition, there will be four Honorable Mention awards, one for each
grade level. The guidelines and application for the competition are included with this letter.
Both the film and the essay competition provide a great opportunity to engage students in a meaningful
dialogue about imagining a world without prejudice. They will be tomorrow’s peacemakers! It also offers an
opportunity to provide education in keeping with the New Jersey Mandate for Genocide and Holocaust
Education (http://www.state.nj.us/education/holocaust/about_us/mandate.html).
Please announce the
competition to your students when you show the film in your classes. The deadline for submission of essays
is March 3, 2017. Presentation of awards will take place at a special reception on Sunday, April 30, 2017
at Seton Hall University. The winners and their teachers, family and friends will be invited.
If your school does not have a copy of the film, please contact the Sister Rose Thering Fund Office and we
will make sure you receive a DVD. Each school may submit up to a maximum of the ten best
compositions for each grade level. It is preferred that entries are submitted electronically. They can be
uploaded using our website at https://setonhall.formstack.com/forms/sister_rose_essay_competition or sent
via email to [email protected]. Please be sure each student completes the enclosed release form so we can publish
the winning essays.
We look forward to working with you, and hope you will encourage your students to enter the competition.
You may also share this information with your colleagues. Please feel free to copy the application and
distribute it to your students. All questions may be directed either to Mr. Lawrence Glaser at 609-984-4927 or
our office at 973-761-9006.
Very sincerely yours,
David Bossman, Ph.D.
Executive Director and
Professor of Jewish-Christian Studies
Deborah Lerner Duane
Chairman of the Board
THE EIGHTH ANNUAL SISTER ROSE THERING FUND
ESSAY COMPETITION FOR HIGH SCHOOLS
2017 GUIDELINES
Theme: After watching the video, Sister Rose’s Passion, think about how her message of promoting dialogue
and peacemaking applies to today’s world. How do you see yourself as an “agent of peace”:
- In your school
- Among your friends
- In your community
- In our world today
1.
Guidelines: After viewing the film, write an essay on this theme in five-hundred words (about 2
pages, typewritten, double-spaced, in 12 point Times New Roman, one side only on 8 ½” X 11” paper
with 1-inch margins.)
BE SURE YOUR NAME APPEARS, TYPEWRITTEN, on each page of the essay itself in the
upper left corner (you may include it in the document header). Please also include the name of your
teacher, your school and your grade. No handwritten essays will be accepted.
2.
Judging Criteria: Essays will be judged on originality of theme relevant to Sister Rose’s message,
overall organization, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Please be sure to mention Sister Rose in
your essay. Essays will be judged according to the grade level of the student.
3.
Winners: Two first place winners will be selected for each grade level across all the high schools that
enter the competition. These winners will receive a monetary award. Two Honorable Mention awards
will also be given for each grade level across all the participating high schools. NOTE: Each school
may submit up to 10 of the best essays for each grade level participating.
4.
All essays will be kept on file in the office of the Sister Rose Thering Fund at Seton Hall University
and will not be returned to students.
5.
All essays MUST be submitted for entry through their teachers. Students may not submit their essays
directly to the Sister Rose Thering Fund. Deadline for submitting essays: March 3, 2017.
6.
How to enter:
a. Complete the Student Essay Competition Application (page 3)
b. Complete the Student Release Form (page 4)
c. Return your essay and the two forms to your teacher by the school’s requested deadline
TEACHERS: There are three ways you may submit the top ten essays per grade level in your school
by March 3:
1. Preferred: Register and upload the essays at
https://setonhall.formstack.com/forms/sister_rose_essay_competition
2. Via e-mail to [email protected]
3. Hardcopy by postal mail should be sent to:
Sister Rose Thering Fund Essay Competition
Seton Hall University
400 South Orange Avenue
South Orange, NJ 07079
www.shu.edu/go/sisterrose
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SISTER ROSE THERING FUND
STUDENT ESSAY COMPETITION APPLICATION
DEADLINE: March 3, 2017
Student’s Name
First
Middle initial
Last
Student’s home address
City
Student’s phone number (
State
Zip code
State
Zip code
)
Name of School
School address
City
School phone number (
)
Name of teacher
Student’s year in school (circle one):
www.shu.edu/go/sisterrose
9th
10th
11th
12th
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RELEASE FORM FOR
SISTER ROSE THERING FUND STUDENT ESSAY COMPETITION
We give our permission for the essay entitled
________________________________________________________________________
submitted to the Sister Rose Thering Fund Student Essay Competition sponsored by the
Sister Rose Thering Fund at Seton Hall University, South Orange New Jersey, to be used
in any future publications of the Fund.
Student name (printed)
Student signature
Parent name (printed)
Parent signature
Date
Thank you.
www.shu.edu/go/sisterrose
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