Last year, 8-year-old Marina Abdulmalek captured a grand prize in the Scottsdale Mayor’s Constitution Day Contest when she compared the vast freedoms in America with the few of her Egyptian homeland. The Yavapai Elementary School third-grader had recently immigrated to the United States. In her essay, Marina wrote about how her family once lived in fear for speaking up and practicing their Christian beliefs.
She expressed how she now has “the freedom to learn, grow, and achieve and become the best I can be. This is what the Bill of Rights means to me.”
The Mayor is again running the Constitution Day Contest to commemorate the Sept. 17, 1797, signing of the U. S. Constitution.
“Last year, I received many thoughtful and creative entries for our Constitution Day Contest, and I am looking forward to this year’s celebration,” said Mayor Lane. “I’m hopeful that students in our community use this opportunity to broaden their knowledge about our country’s finest document at a time when constitutional issues, from separation of governmental powers to privacy, face the nation daily.”
This year’s contest has been expanded to include an art/video category in addition to the essay category. Prizes will be awarded in both categories for three age groups:
•First through fifth grades: $100 gift cards
•Sixth through eighth grades: $150 gift cards
•High school: $200 gift cards