The third annual Student Essay Contest honoring the Nation's First African-American Aviators, World War II Tuskegee Airmen will celebrate National Black History Month with students in Central Florida invited to meet Airmen in person at Fantasy of Flight's Legends & Legacies Symposium, "They Dared to Fly" from February 7 to 9, 2013.
Sharing their thoughts and dreams in an essay contest honoring the inspirational Tuskegee Airmen, the students who attend accredited schools or home school programs in grades 6-12 will compete for prize money by entering the contest, themed "They Dared to Fly.”
Essay length for students in grades 6-8 is 350 words or 500 words for students in grades 9-12 and first place winners in each of two categories will take home $500, and two second place winners will receive $300.
Sponsored by Fantasy of Flight, home to the World's Greatest Aircraft Collection, Kim Long, General Manager of Fantasy of Flight, says this essay contest is important for students since it offers an incredible learning opportunity for not only the students, but the public as well. “How often do you get a chance to meet heroes like these men up-close and in-person,” Long says.
Over the years, winners came from a mix of public and private schools, as well as home schooling participants, as well as winners from throughout the Southeast, and one winner last year was from Tennessee.
An independent group of local judges will judging the competition, Long says some local teachers at the schools where the contest is being held are also making this a class project to encourage students to participate.
“We just had the principal of Stewart Middle Magnet School in Tampa call to start working on bringing his school this year,” Long says adding “They've come to the symposium for the past five years and their students participate in the essay contest because they realize the value of the event.”
Students are encouraged to help with the mission for the Flight of Fantasy by sharing their impressions of the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII in essay form.
Of the original group, of nearly 1,000 trained pilots and 15,000 ground personnel made up the Tuskegee Airmen, approximately 40 pilots and 200 ground crew are alive today.
"Reading the student essays last year, it was clear how much the participants were influenced by the Tuskegee Airmen, both by the men they met in person at the 'They Dared to Fly' symposium, as well as through the research they conducted on their own," says Long. "The Tuskegee Airmen are excellent role models in the values of leadership, excellence, advocacy, and determination, and we at Fantasy of Flight believe those values are essential for anyone who wants to pursue his or her dreams, whatever they may be."
The "They Dared to Fly" symposium will feature several open-forum/question-and-answer sessions as well as meet/greet autograph signings with several of the original Tuskegee Airmen.
For more information about entering the contest: visit http://www.fantasyofflight.com/livinghistory/