The Quaker Leaders Essay Contest 2010
Dr. John Templeton Jr. of the Class of ’58 has collaborated with George School in establishing a Quaker Leaders Essay Contest with a $4,000 award for the winning essay. This contest is open to George School students only, and all students enrolled during the 2009-2010 academic year are invited to participate.
Guidelines for the contest are as follows:
| 1. |
Student entrants will write a biographical essay on a leader from the first one hundred years of Quaker history. The essay should emphasize the theological beliefs, worldview, and values that guided the early leaders of the Society of Friends.
An excellent essay will contain analysis of one or more of the following aspects:
• The values and faith that guided the leader
• The leader’s theological beliefs and how they influenced the leader’s actions and life’s work
• The leader’s worldview and its effect on the leader’s sense of meaning and purpose
• The leader’s impact within the Society of Friends
• The leader’s impact on the wider world
• The leader’s contribution to freedom and liberty |
| 2. |
Other criteria for a winning essay include the following:
• A scholarly essay, approximately 3,500 words in length
• The correct use of scholarly sources and the appropriate citation of sources (See item #3)
• Excellence in grammatical form and structure
• Historical accuracy
• Reference to original source material and writings
• Insightful analysis of the leader’s perspective and impact
• Presentation of the leader as a role model within the Society of Friends
• Presentation of the leader as an agent of change |
|
|
| 3. |
Correct documentation is imperative. Essays should be documented according to The Chicago Manual of Style, the same format followed by the George School History Department. There is helpful information at the Library Gateway on the George School website.
Each essay will be checked for academic integrity on the website turnitin.com, and any essay that displays incorrect sourcing will be eliminated. |
| 4. |
The deadline for submissions will be Tuesday, March 30, 2010. |
|
|
| 5. |
The full-time members of the Religion Department will serve as judges. Two additional judges have been selected from the wider community. |
|
|
| 6. |
The essays should be submitted electronically to the executive assistant to the head of school, so that they may be judged “blind.” The entire essay must be contained in one attached document in an MS Word format. |
|
|
| 7. |
In the event that no essay is found to be outstanding in a given year, the judges reserve the right not to give an award. |
|
|
| 8. |
The winner will be announced at the school’s end of year “Senior Recognition” assembly in late May. |
|
|
| 9. |
The winner will receive a $4,000 cash award, of which $3,000 shall be used for educational purposes, and $1,000 as the winner sees fit. The funds for educational purposes are intended to contribute to the next stage of the recipient’s education. (This could include either further education at George School or college.) |
|
|
| 10. |
The school will disseminate the winning essay via the George School website. George School may also publish excerpts of the essay in the Georgian, the school’s magazine. |
|
|
| 11. |
Questions regarding the essay contest or requests for further information may be directed to Maria Crosman, the head of the Religion Department at George School. |
Ideas for Essay Subjects
When Dr. John Templeton originally proposed the Quaker Leaders Essay Contest, he also included the following list of Friends from the first one hundred years of Quaker history who would be good subjects for such an essay:
| George Fox |
Mary Dyer |
| William Penn |
Anthony Benezet |
| Robert Barclay |
Thomas Chalkley |
| John Woolman |
Francis Howgill |
| George Keith |
Edward Burrough |
| Margaret Fell |
Richard Hubberthorn |
| James Nayler |
Richard Farnsworth |
| Isaac Pennington |
William Dewsbury |
| Thomas Ellwood |
Elizabeth Hooten |
| Mary Fisher |
Benjamin Lay |
George Whitehead—Orton Dorm was named for his birthplace
James Parnell—Retford was named for his birthplace
Both Whitehead and Parnell became Quaker ministers as teenagers. James Parnell died in prison at the age of twenty, becoming one of the first Quaker martyrs.
There is a small collection of references for some of these individuals. There are also books in the library collection on Quaker history. Please speak with a librarian for assistance with resources. If need be, the librarian will speak with members of the Religion Department for additional advice. This will maintain the anonymity of the papers.
If you have other questions regarding the essay contest, or if you have other ideas for a subject for the essay, you may contact me at George School by phone at 215.579.6595 or email
maria_crosman@georgeschool.org.
Maria Crosman
Head of the Religion Department