2013 American Legion Post 66 Scholarships Available

Disney-Bell Post 66 sponsors four annual competitive scholarships awarded to local high school students to attend colleges and universities.  The scholarships were set up by Post 66 to honor Past Commanders of Bowie American Legion Post 66, including:  Melvin Buck; James L. Pritchett; James St. Aubin; and Woody Sears.  The amount of each of the four scholarships for 2013 is $1,000.00. 

Applications MUST be submitted prior to May 1, 2013, to be considered.  For more detailed information on each of these scholarships, click on the links below.

 Melvin Buck

James L. Pritchett

James St. Aubin

Woody Sears
 

American Legion Post 66 Oratorical Contest

Disney-Bell Post 66 sponsors the local level of the National High School Oratorical Contest in January of each year. Initial registration and a briefing on the rules will be held in early December at the Post. Interested students can pre-register by phoning Post 66 at 301-464-9814 or Brian Frye, the Post Oratorical Committee Chairman, at 301-860-1717.  The local contest in Bowie offers $500.00, $300.00, and $200.00 for the top three competitors. The American Legion encourages parents and school administrators to support this annual competition which instills Americanism in our high school students across the Country.  A few volunteers are needed to be timekeepers and escorts.  Please see Brian Frye for details.

Each year thousands of high school students gain a deeper understanding of the U.S. Constitution and share that knowledge with a vast audience through the American Legion High School Oratorical Contest. Hundreds of students win scholarship awards at the Post level for speeches that explore the substance and meaning of the Constitution. Other objectives of the contest include the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently, and the preparation for acceptance of the duties and responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship.

The contest consists of a prepared oration from 8-10 ten minutes in length and a short oration on an assigned topic from 3-5 minutes in length. State and local contests run annually January through March, culminating at the National level in April. In Maryland, local Posts participating in the contest conduct the initial program and send their respective winners to the County level and then on to the State finals. The Maryland champion then competes at the regional and possibly National level. The three National finalists compete for scholarships ranging from $14,000.00 to $18,000.00 going to the winning oratorical.