Of being American and attending U.S's service academies

Deadlines loom large for these two items, but they need a lot of preparation. So start writing and getting your documents and applications together.

First: high school students and their teachers are invited to participate in the sixth annual "Being an American" essay contest, sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute.
Touted as the largest contest of its kind in the country, the "Being an American" Essay Contest explores the Founding principles outlined in the Constitution. The contest is administered by the Bill of Rights Institute, a non-profit educational organization in the Washington, D.C. area dedicated to educating young people about the Constitution and Founding principles.
Students are asked to share their thoughts on the Constitution by answering the following question: How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?

Any student in grades 9-12 who are U.S. citizens or legal residents no older than 19 can participate. Military bases and U.S. territories are also invited to participate. The essay can't be longer than 1,000 words, and will be judged by its adherence to the question, originality, organization, writing style, and depth of analysis.

The top three student winners from each of the five geographical regions will be awarded cash prizes of $1,000 (First Place), $500 (Second Place), and $250 (Third Place). Teacher sponsors for each student winner will also receive a cash prize of $100. For more information, click here.

Deadline to submit essays is Dec. 15. All essays must be submitted online. Winner will be announced in February.

Second: The office of Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) is now accepting applications for nomination to the U.S. service academies. Operated by the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and Navy, these academies provide a college education in exchange for a commitment to serve as a commissioned officer.

Candidates must be at least 17 years old but not older than 23 as of July 1, 2012. They must reside in California's 17th Congressional District, be U.S. citizens and must never have been married.

For all service academies (except the Coast Guard), applicants must be nominated by one of several federal officials including the U.S. representatives, U.S. senators and the vice president.

In order to be considered for a nomination, the following information is necessary:

• A completed application form, available from Congressman Farr's office or Web site (www.farr.house.gov).
• A personal statement not to exceed 1,000 words.
• An official high school transcript.
• Official Scholastic Aptitude Test SAT scores. If you have the scores forwarded by the testing center, Congressman Farr Score File Number is 4639. If your scores are shown on your high school transcripts, that is acceptable.
• Three letters of recommendation, not from relatives.

All materials should be sent to Congressman Sam Farr, ATTN: Julian Chacon, 701 Ocean Street, Room 318, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.Julian Chacon can be reached at julian.chacon@mail.house.gov. For more information, click here.