St. John's School

Youth for Understanding, USA (YFU USA) has posted a list of programs with competitive scholarships for high school students to live aborad for a summer. St. John's students will not qualify for all of the scholarships listed.

Applications involve essays.

To view the list, visit the YFU USA web site and click the "Scholarship" link under "American Students."

Students grades 9-12 are eligible to enter. The topic: "With peer pressure being so strong in schools today, what advice would you give to an individual to persevere through the pressure in order to become a stronger person?" The submission deadline is Feb. 28, 2005. You can pick up registration forms in the College Counseling office. Students are responsible to mail their own completed entries on time.

The City of Houston 2006 Public Service Essay Contest. For current high school seniors. Scholarship prizes. Topic: You pick a job title from a list of services performed by City of Houston employees and write about the difference you would make if you did that job. March 13, 2006 postmark deadline. For more information, pick up an application packet in College Counseling.

"This is a major project of The Society held under the auspices of the Washington Workshops Foundation, a private nonprofit educational program in American government for high school students. Winners of an annual national essay contest sponsored by The NSCDA are sent to Washington, D.C. for a week of citizenship education about the national government."

Click here for more information.

"The purpose for the The purpose for the Essay Contest is to foster debate and dialogue about important global issues. We are not looking for a particular perspective, rather well-reasoned essays that contribute, in some meaningful way, to the debate on how to achieve a better, more flourishing, more cooperative world. is to foster debate and dialogue about important global issues. We are not looking for a particular perspective, rather well-reasoned essays that contribute, in some meaningful way, to the debate on how to achieve a better, more flourishing, more cooperative world."

"Showcase your ideas on public policy and the role of markets by entering our essay competition. Each year the Institute holds a competition for students, designed to encourage and develop student writers." This is an essay sponsored by the Fraser Institute, a public policy think tank in Canada. Click the link above for more information on this year's topic, deadlines, prizes, etc.

This essay contest for juniors is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). "As part of its We the People initiative, NEH invites high school juniors to participate in an Essay Contest that invites them to reflect on The Idea of America."

From the web site of the Jane Austen Society of North America: "Students interested in the life and works of Jane Austen may enter the Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest. We are seeking jargon free writing and fresh approaches to Austen. Contest entries are to be mailed by May 1, 2004." Click here for more information.

The Next Step Magazine Teen Writing Contest:

"The Next Step Magazine is seeking first-person accounts from teenagers about subjects like peer pressure, politics, friends, world events, culture, dating or other relevant topics. We encourage you to be creative and create your own topic! Many selections will be placed on this Web site under 'Teen Editorial.'"

$100 award if the story is selected for publication in the magazine's print version.

The United States Holocaust Museum has a 2004 May Family National Art & Writing Contest.

1. "Explore the Museum's Web site and its resources. Select one or more of the individuals (parents, children, or rescuers) associated with this history."

2. "What were the challenges they faced, and how did they respond to these challenges?"

3. For their response to this question, students may submit writing or artwork, as long as either follows contest guidelines.

Click here for a contest brochure.

All entries must be postmarked by March 3, 2004.

This essay contest is open to all Houston college bound seniors. The topic for the essay is Follow Your Heart to Health.

"Essays should focus on women's health and can be as specific as a health problem or experience the writer has faced, or as general as the importance of good health and self-esteem. Although many essays deal with personal experiences, you may wish to consider a fictional situation to focus on this topic...All entries must include on a cover page only: writer's name, address, age, current grade in school, home phone number, name of school district and school, and name of teacher or parent sponsor."

Mail completed entries to The Women's Fund, 3730 Kirby Drive, Suite 750, Houston, TX 77098.

Monetary awards and scholarships for winners. Entries must be postmarked by February 28, 2005.

The Ayn Rand Institute sponsors two annual high school essay contets, one for freshman and sophomores on the novel Anthem and another for juniors and seniors on the novel The Fountainhead. Top prize for the Anthem contest is $2,000; for The Fountainhead contest, $10,000. Both contests offer numerous other prizes for second and third places and for finalists and semi-finalists.