The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation announces student essay competition

The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, in partnership with The Society of Presidential Descendants, is pleased to announce its third annual essay competition for Monroe County high school students.
 
First, Second, and Third place winners will receive an invitation to attend the upcoming annual Harry S. Truman Foundation Presidential Families Weekend forum in February, held at the Key West Harry S. Truman Little White House. As part of their prize package the students will be seated at a reserved table to experience a moderated discussion among descendants of U.S. presidents. Following the forum, presidential descendants will introduce the winners to the audience and present them with cash prizes and certificates of achievement.
 
Submitted essays are to reflect this year’s forum theme, “Historic Preservation—artifacts, objects and sites. Preserving our nation’s history for future generations.” Essays will be juried by members of the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation and The Society of Presidential Descendants, and judged on factors that include the author’s skill at presenting the subject compellingly according to competition guidelines. The competition is open to all Monroe County students, including home schooled and charter school students, currently enrolled in grades 9-12, and who have performed volunteer service work within the past two years.
 
Monroe County School District Social Studies Coordinator Jennifer C. Barrios is liaison between the school district and the competition organizers, and will accompany the winning students to the forum.
 
“Growing up in Key West, surrounded by so much history, reflected in so many forms, certainly had an impact on me and cultivated my own passion for historic preservation,” said Clinton Curry, Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation Executive Director and a seventh generation Key Wester. “In preserving and safeguarding material objects, from classic structures to artifacts, and of course the rich resource of personal correspondence, we are able to know and better understand our cultural heritage.”
 
Deadline for essay submissions is January 30, 2025. To request essay guidelines and submission information, email Kevin Theriault at [email protected].