Breaking Barriers | Scholastic

The Grade 9: Breaking Barriers Essay Contest is a chance for students from all backgrounds in grade 9 to share their personal stories and show how they use Jackie Robinson's values to face their own barriers.

A trip to a game of the 2012 Major League
Baseball World Series®
One laptop computer for the winning 9th-grade student
One laptop computer for the winning student's designated 9th-grade teacher
A class visit from Sharon Robinson

Prizes Info 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

By Mail:
Download the contest entry form and
submit by mail. Mail entries must be
postmarked by February 21, 2012.

Online:
Each student can upload his/her entry
online.
Online entries must be received by February 21, 2012.

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Generously sponsored by
Major League Baseball®

For more information on Breaking Barriers, visit:
MLB.com/BREAKINGBARRIERS

Click here for more info on your favorite MLB® team.

Photos: green turf background, © Martin Diebel/Getty Images; Major League Baseball players, courtesy MLB; past winners, courtesy MLB; Jackie Robinson with bat, © Bettmann/Corbis; mail and mailbox, © Lew Robertson/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images; girl on computer, © YingYang/iStockphoto; Jackie Robinson holding Sharon, courtesy Robinson Family; Jackie Robinson sliding into base, © AP Images.

RULES: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. All students who are legal residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec) and who are currently enrolled in grade 9 are eligible to enter, except for those who have family members employed by the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Scholastic Inc., and other related companies (see the Official Rules for a complete listing). Visit www.scholastic.com/breakingbarriers/grade9 for complete Official Rules. Limit one entry per person. All prospective winners and their respective parents/legal guardians will be required to sign, notarize, and return an affidavit of eligibility/release of liability within ten (10) days of date of notification or an alternate winner may be selected.

Student Essay Requirements - Grade 9: Breaking Barriers Essay Contest

1. Write an essay about a barrier that you have faced. Explain how you faced this barrier by using one or more of Jackie Robinson's Nine Values:

courage
persistence
justice

determination
integrity
commitment

teamwork
excellence
citizenship

2. Submit your entry by February 21, 2012. On mail-in entries, include the following information:

your first and last name
name of 9th-grade teacher you designated for the contest
school name
school city/state

For information required in connection with online entries, see Official Rules.

3. Each essay should be at least 500 words long and not exceed 1,500 words in length. Limit one entry per student. All essays must be factual and based on the student's real-life experience. Fictional stories will be disqualified.

Online entries will also be subject to the Scholastic.com Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.