Sixth graders in Coffee County are encouraged to participate in the “If I Were Mayor, I Would . . .” essay contest. The contest is open to all 6th graders, including home schooled students and private school students. The essay will give sixth graders an opportunity to share their ideas on leadership and how they would guide the city as mayor.
“I would like to encourage sixth grade students to participate,” says Mayor James Dennis. “It is important for students to understand the role of mayor and how local government works. Hopefully, my talks with the students at Citizens Christian Academy and Coffee Middle School have given students the information they need to write a successful essay.”
Every essay must begin with the sentence, “If I were mayor, I would…” and essays may not be longer than 350 words. They can be either typed or hand written, but must be legible and have the student’s name and school on them. Students may use resources such as www.gma.net, www.georgiaencyclopedia.org, the local newspaper and speak with local officials to help with their essay.
One local winner will receive prizes and be recognized at a regular City Commission meeting. Student essays will also be forwarded to the Georgia Municipal Association to compete against other entries from GMA’s 12 districts, and a winner from each state district will be selected by a panel of state officials. If chosen at the state level, the winner will receive a $250 savings bond and other small prizes. State winners will be notified by the end of March, and will be invited, along with their teachers, parents and mayors, to a luncheon in Atlanta in April.
For more information, please call (912) 383-0277, email ghenderson@cityofdouglas.com or visit www.cityofdouglas.com.
