Materials available for 111 communities participating in essay contest

Local leaders from across Massachusetts will be heading back to school to encourage students to participate in the MMA’s annual Sixth Grade Essay Contest.

More than 100 communities will be taking part in the contest, now in its seventh year.

Participating sixth graders will be describing what they would do as an elected leader of their city or town to make it a better place to live. The essay contest encourages the future leaders of the state to reflect on the role of key elected officials and municipal activities.

Municipal associations across America report that essay contest participation is greater in communities where local officials have been in direct contact with schools.

Winners will be chosen by a panel of local officials and will be presented with awards at the MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Jan. 25.

Essay contest criteria

• The contest is open to any sixth grade public school student in a participating community.

• Essays must all begin with the statement, “If I were elected leader of my community I would make a difference by …”

• Essays must be neatly printed or typed and cannot exceed 300 words.

• Entries are limited to one per student.

• Submissions must include the official entry form (below).

• Submissions are to be mailed to: MMA, 1 Winthrop Square, Boston, MA 02110.

• Essays must be received by the MMA no later than 5 p.m. on Nov. 30.

For more information, contact Amanda Lorenti or Katelyn O’Brien at the MMA.

• Official entry form for 6th grade essay contest (1.2M PDF)

• Student guide for 6th grade essay contest (478K PDF)

• Teacher guide for 6th grade essay contest (300K PDF)

The following are the 111 participating communities:
Acton
Acushnet
Alford
Aquinnah
Arlington
Ashfield
Ashland
Attleboro
Avon
Bernardston
Blandford
Boylston
Brewster
Brookline
Charlton
Chatham
Chelsea
Chester
Chilmark
Concord
Danvers
Dartmouth
Dedham
Deerfield
Dennis
Dighton
Dracut
Eastham
Easthampton
Egremont
Essex
Framingham
Freetown
Gill
Greenfield
Groveland
Halifax
Hanson
Harwich
Hingham
Hopedale
Hopkinton
Huntington
Ipswich
Lakeville
Lawrence
Leominster
Leverett
Leyden
Ludlow
Malden
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Marblehead
Mashpee
Medway
Mendon
Merrimac
Middlefield
Montague
Monterey
Montgomery
New Braintree
New Marlborough
Norfolk
North Adams
Northbridge
Northfield
Oakham
Orange
Orleans
Otis
Palmer
Pembroke
Phillipston
Plainfield
Provincetown
Reading
Rehoboth
Revere
Rowley
Russell
Rutland
Sandisfield
Sandwich
Scituate
Seekonk
Sheffield
Springfield
Stoughton
Sunderland
Swansea
Templeton
Tewksbury
Upton
Uxbridge
Wakefield
Walpole
Ware
Washington
Wellfleet
Westborough
West Brookfield
Westhampton
West Newbury
West Tisbury
Williamsburg
Wilmington
Winchester
Winthrop
Worthington
Yarmouth