Reports and proposals · January 1973Estimated date

Children's contest recommendations from 1972 judges

Willa Rogers and Pat Gazin propose clearer rules, earlier deadlines, improved publicity and prompt prize awards.

Text

Transcribed from the scans and checked against them by Claude. Typed text comes first; handwritten notes follow it. [illegible] marks words that cannot be read and [?] an uncertain reading.

REPORT TO 1973 Committee for CHILDREN"S CONTEST (EIGHTH ANNUAL) BY Willa Rogers & Pat Gazin, 1972 judges Mrs. Rogers is a former professional teacher; Mrs. Gazin formerly a professional writer; art selections were judged by Jack McClain of Mira Costa HS. We found ourselves an eleventh-hour team faced with administering final details of the 1972 contest, then judging it. From that experience, we offer the following recommendations. (See MIMEOGRAPHED RULES SHEET for comparison.) 1. Announce contest in January. 2. Set deadline April 30 (instead of school closing date so entries may be judged, announced and PRIZES AWARDED before the end of the school year. 3. Rules should be more widely posted. Instead of depend just on teacher announcements, rules should be distributed to each grade and posted on school bulletin boards for puils to read for themselves. 4. Announce the contest in all PTA bulletins(this has been done effectively in the past) so parents may also be informed. (Newspaper publicity was very soft in 1972 and this MUST be corrected.) 4. FOR REVIEW consider change of grade classifications. Instead of present K thru 2, 3 thru 6, 7 thru 8, we suggest eliminate kindergarten. (After all they are not expected to write.) Substitute 1 and 2 3 and 4 5 thru 8 5. CONTEST CATEGORIES should be clarified thus: poetry; short story; essay; illustrated original writing(in any of above categories) illustration of a PUBLISHED work which must be clearly accredited with title and author OR WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. (There was lots of confusion last year about what the artist intended.) Each entry must be dlearly labelled with contestant's name, age, grade, school and the CATEGORY in which he is competing. 7. Important. Each entry must be done in the child's OWN writing. Typed entries are unfair to the others. They also fail to offer an accurate gauge of thechild's ability to write and especially to SPELL. (Mamas who type are inevitably tempted to edit.) 9. PRIZES Increase first to $10 value. second to $5. value hon mention.. ribbons. In future, allow prize winners to select their choice at the EITHER OR immediately. We don't need the discount, and waiting for orders on discount involves unbelievable delay. It is important to the young to receive their honors promptly. Delay dulls the fine edge. In 1972 there were NO ENTRIES from Prospect Hts. nor from Our Lady of Guadalupe. Though ALL schools in the city are invited to participate. What is the reason? Poor communication from F ofL or lazy staff at the schools? Pursue. 30

Handwritten notes

• (top right) Pat • (left of the second item 4) 5

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Source scan page 4

Pat
REPORT TO 1973 Committee for CHILDREN"S CONTEST (EIGHTH ANNUAI) BY Willa Rogers & Pat Gazin, 1972 judges
Mrs. Rogers is a former professional teacher; Mrs. Gazin formerly
a professional writer; art selections were judged by Jack Medlain of Mira Costa HS.
We found ourselves an eleventh-hour team faced with administering
final details of the * 1972 contest, then judging it.
From that experience, we offer the following recommendations. (See MIMEOGRAPHED RULES SHEET for comparison.)
1.
2. Announce contest in January.
Set deadline April 30 (instead of school closing date
so entries may be judged, announced and PRIZES AWARDED
3. before the end of the school year. Rules Should be more widely posted. Instead of depend
just on teacher announcements, rules should be distributed to each grade and posted on school bulletin boards
4. for puils to read for themselves. Announce the contest in all PIA bulletins(this has
been done effectively in the past) so parents may also be informed. (Newspaper publicity was very soft in 1972 and this MUST be corrected.)
5#. FOR REVIEW consider change of grade classifications. Instead
of present K thru 2, 3 thru 6, 7 thru 8, we suggest
eliminate kindergarten. (After all theyare not expected
to write.) substitute 1 and 2
3 and 4
5 thru 8
5. CONTEST CATEGORIES should be clarified thus: poetry;
short story; essay; illustrated original writing(in any of above categories) illustration of a PUBLISHED
work which must be clearly accredited with title and. author OR WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. (There was lots of
confusion last year about what the artist intended.) Each entry must be dlearly labelled with contestant's
name, age, grade, school and the CATEGORY in which he
7. Important. Each entry must be done in the child's OWN
writing. Typed entries are unfair to the others. They also fail to offer an accurate gauge of thechild's
ability to write and especially to SPELI. (Xamsaukox Namas who type are inevitably tempted to edit.)
9. PRIZES
Increase first to $10 value.
second to $5. value
hon mention.. ribbons.
In future, allow prize winners to select their choice at the EITHER OR immediately. We don't need the discount, and waiting
for orders on discount involves unbelievable delay. It is impor-
tant to the young to receive their honors promptiy. Delay dulis the fine edge.
In 1972 there were NO ENTRIES from Prospect Hts. nor from Our Lady of Guadalupe. Though ALL schools in the city are invited to
participate. What is the reason? Poor communication from 1 of
or lazy staff at the schools? Pursue. 30