State Senator Chris Gebhard is sponsoring an essay contest for 5th- and 12th-grader students to honor the lives lost in the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Gebhard represents the 48th District, covering Lebanon County and parts of York and Dauphin counties.

State Senator Chris Gebhard

Winners in both grade levels will each win $250, a custom pen donated by G&L Trophies and a tour of the Capitol in Harrisburg with Sen. Gebhard.

“While it is important to always remember the lives that were lost that day, we must also focus on how we became stronger as a country following the attacks,” Gebhard said in a statement. “We should be forever grateful for the heroic efforts of the first responders, especially as their tireless dedication serves as a powerful reminder of the strength of Americans even in times of trial.”

To enter, students must be enrolled in 5th or 12th grade in a public, private, or homeschool program in Pennsylvania. They may submit one essay of no more than 750 words by Friday, Sept. 30.

Content must be original and may only contain copyrighted content if appropriately cited. Entrants must credit all sources on a citation list.

Essays will be judged on creativity, content, effectiveness of message delivery, and whether the directions were followed. An independent panel of judges not including any Pennsylvania senators will select the winners.

All entries become the property of the Pennsylvania Senate. Entrants agree that submitting their essay permits the Pennsylvania Senate to use, without any compensation, their names, likenesses, and entries for promotional purposes.

By submitting an entry, entrants represent that their entries constitute original works of creativity that do not violate the property rights of any other person or organization, and grants the Pennsylvania Senate the right to exhibit, distribute, televise, and otherwise use the entries in various media.

All entries should be submitted online at SenatorGebhard48.com/essay.

The contest is sponsored by Dairy Queen West, Blue Bird Inn, Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying, Inc., Bob Phillips State Farm, and G&L Trophies.

Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.

Do you want to see more from LebTown?

Support local news. Cancel anytime.

Already a member? Login here

Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.