SPIRIT - The 2010 Essay Contest General Information
Have you played with the 3D storyboarding tool, Alice? Has the experience made you re-consider your future
career choices? Read on if you answered 'yes'...
The SPIRIT team invites students in grades 6-12 that have used Alice and been impacted either directly or
indirectly by the SPIRIT program to enter our essay contest. The essay must describe your connection to SPIRIT,
what types of worlds you have created with Alice, and how that experience has changed your thinking about
technology and your future career choices. You must also submit at least one Alice World (A2W file) that is
discussed in your essay.
The entry period for submitting the essay and Alice World has started and ends on March 15, 2010. Use the
links below to access the student information (link #1) and parent information (link #2). The essay entry form,
which must be completed and submitted as a Word or PDF document with your Alice world, may be downloaded from
either information page. All submissions must be done using the essignments.com online submission system. You
must first create an account for yourself on essignments.com (link #3). Once your entry form and Alice worlds
are ready to be submitted, then use the essignments submission link (#4) to complete your submission.
The SPIRIT team will select one winner who will be awarded a new iPod nano, in the winner’s choice of color,
provided by essignments.com. Winners will be announced in early May 2010 (link #5).
All submissions become the property of SPIRIT. By submitting your entry to the contest you give SPIRIT the
right to use, in whole or part, your name, essay, and Alice World in future publications and promotions.
Eligibility requirements: The SPIRIT contest is open to students in good standing that are currently in
grades 6-12 at the time of entry. Each applicant must explain his/her connection to SPIRIT**. Immediate family
members of the SPIRIT team are not eligible to apply.
** If you aren’t sure about whether your SPIRIT connection qualifies you for the contest, read the examples
below for ideas of valid connections:
- I completed the SPIRIT summer program in July 2008
- My friend Tony X completed the SPIRIT program in July 2009 and showed Alice to me and I then learned
Alice on my own
- My mom is a teacher who attended SPIRIT in July 2008.
- Mr. Smith, my Spanish teacher, attended SPIRIT in July 2009 and showed us how to use Alice in his class.
- My friend, Julie, is in Mr. Smith’s Spanish class and she did a presentation in English class using Alice
and I thought it looked fun, so I learned it on my own. (Mr. Smith attended SPIRIT in July 2009.)
- I babysit for the son of one of the SPIRIT instructors (Mrs. X) who told me about Alice and the contest.
I think she went to SPIRIT in 2008.
- (Read in Valley Girl voice) Like, my Uncle’s girlfriend’s son’s best friend is, like, my boyfriend,
Slash, and he saw a YouTube video on the totally awesome SPIRIT site about, like, French animals, and since
Slash is totally into French culture, we were like, “That is so cool.” He used to be in this computer class
with, like, Mrs. X, and was searching for, like, some more ideas of what to do with Alice for, like, his
research on saving the entire world through skateboarding. He is so deep. (Mrs. X went to SPIRIT in, like,
2008.)
Important Links
- View student information and download entry form.
- View parent information and download entry form.
- Create an account on essignments
- Submit entry to essignments
- View winners
