White Rose Student Essay Contest

The 2012-2013 White Rose Essay Contest finalists and winners have been announced. To read the winning essays

The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education is pleased to announce its eighteenth annual White Rose Student Essay Contest, open to 8th through 12th grade students in the 18 county Greater Kansas City area. This year's contest commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Nazi rise to power and is designed to address the new Common Core education standards. Please click on each of the following, as some of the contest procedures have changed.

THEME

Flight from the Reich: The Search for Safe Havens

From 1933 to 1939, Nazi policy toward the Jews focused on separating them from non-Jews and persecuting them in an attempt to force their emigration from Germany, and later, from Austria and Czechoslovakia when those countries became part of the Reich. Many methods were used to implement this policy, including passing restrictive laws, and later, organized violence.

Using at least 3 of the documents provided below, plus a minimum of two outside resources (at least one of which must be a non-digital print source), prepare an essay that addresses all parts of the following topic:

RESEARCH: Analyze the conditions experienced by Jews living in the Reich during the 1930s and explore what choices were open to them as potential emigrants. Explain the reasons for and obstacles to emigration as they were experienced by one Jewish family or individual during this time. REFLECTION: As a result of your research, what single action can you take now to demonstrate what learning about the Holocaust means to you?

RESEARCH:
Analyze the conditions experienced by Jews living in the Reich during the 1930s and explore what choices were open to them as potential emigrants. Explain the reasons for and obstacles to emigration as they were experienced by one Jewish family or individual during this time.

REFLECTION:
As a result of your research, what single action can you take now to demonstrate what learning about the Holocaust means to you?

You must base your research on at least three of the following documents:

Obstacles to Immigration Documents Required to Obtain a Visa Seeking Visas after the Anschluss Werner Hartwich Testimony Ann Jacobson Testimony Voyage of the St. Louis 1938 Propaganda Poster	New York Times Editorial Cartoon - July 3, 1938 Training for Emigration - historical film footage Discussion by the Authorities following Kristallnacht Establishment of the Reich Emigration Office Kindertransport Photograph The Leather Suitcase Letters of request to Senator Truman - 1 & 2

IMPORTANT LINKS AND TEACHING TOOLS

POSTMARK DEADLINE: THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2013
Please refer to EACH of these links for important details:

CRITERIA

Each contestant is limited to one entry per year. Previous winners may enter again. Essays will be evaluated on historical accuracy, development of content and theme, original expression, grammar, and mechanics.

Content

Evidence of comprehensive and accurate historical research
Utilization and and consistent citation of at least 3 of the designated documents and 2 additional resources
Adherence to theme, demonstrating substantial supporting detail
Reflect historical research
Research section to be written in third person narrative
Reflects personal insight, interpretation, and unique writing style with minimal direct quotes
Synthesis of information gathered from a variety of both print and digital sources

Mechanics

Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation - be especially careful to use the terms 'emigration' and 'immigration' correctly
Completed entry form, including authentic, original signatures where indicated
Proper citations - all citation styles are accepted, but citations must be consistent
Works Cited - reflecting a variety of both print and digital sources. Whole books found online are considered digital sources.
Typed double-spaced on 8.5” x 11” plain white paper and size 12 font. Use only one side of the paper.
Maximum of 1200 words. All words in the body of the essay except internal citations are counted in the total.
Essays must be free of plagiarism. Those with passages copied directly from other sources, without proper citations, or containing vast amounts of quoted or minimally paraphrased material are subject to disqualification.
One cover sheet with the student's name, school and teacher's name
Five copies of essay, each stapled in the upper left corner. To ensure blind judging, the student’s name should NOT appear on the pages of the essay.
Electronic copy of essay, cover sheet, and Works Cited --- submitted as ONE document --- in Microsoft Word format. Students may submit on an individual disc/drive labeled with student’s name, school, and teacher’s name OR teacher may submit one disk/drive with all student submissions saved as separate documents titled by students' names.

GUIDELINES FOR EDUCATORS

Entries are limited to 1,200 words. This includes the body of the paper only. It does not include the cover sheet, title, footnotes, or Works Cited. Papers exceeding this limit, even by one word, will be disqualified. Students should use the “Word Count” function on their computers. We will.
MCHE encourages teachers to utilize this writing contest as a classroom exercise. To ensure that each essay receives the full attention of our judges, however, sponsoring teachers are limited to submitting no more than 10 essays per division.
Each essay should reflect the student’s own work, guided and reviewed, but not edited in detail by the sponsoring teacher. Teachers should take care in attesting to compliance with contest requirements. A completed entry form with authentic, original (not photocopied) signatures must accompany each essay.
We strongly recommend that students link to reliable web sites through www.mchekc.org and visit MCHE’s Resource Center, which houses nearly 3,000 titles available for free loan. Hours are 8:30 until 5:00, Monday through Friday and until 7 PM on Wednesdays when school is in session.
Plagiarism results in disqualification.
Entries must be postmarked NO LATER THAN Thursday, April 4, 2013, or delivered in person to the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education office by 5:00 PM that day. Essays postmarked after the deadline, those brought to MCHE after the designated time, or essays sent by fax or e-mail will not qualify for judging.
Up to 10 finalists in each division will be recognized at a reception in May.

ELIGIBLE COUNTIES

Kansas: Atchison, Douglas, Franklin, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami, Shawnee, Wyandotte
Missouri: Buchanan, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Platte, Ray