HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS & SENIORS: WIN A $1,500 SCHOLARSHIP WITH ESSAY ON BUSINESS ETHICS

September 9, 2010 (San Diego)--Before the new school year gets even busier for your favorite high school junior or senior, the San Diego Better Business Bureau (BBB) is inviting all 11th and 12th graders to write and submit a 400-word essay on the importance of marketplace ethics and receive up to a $1,500 scholarship from the BBB.

All high school juniors or seniors (graduating classes of 2011 or 2012) who attend an accredited high school in San Diego or Imperial counties, and who reside in San Diego or Imperial counties, are eligible to submit an essay. The essays should include viewpoints and examples, including how marketplace ethics involves integrity, honesty and civility in our community. An independent panel of judges will evaluate the essays based on: (#1) inclusion of personal viewpoints and/or examples (5 points); (#2) relevance to the theme (5 points); (#3) readability and clarity (5 points); and, (#4) spelling and grammar (5 points).

There is no cost to submit an essay. Deadline for essays is 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 25, 2010. Essays can be submitted via mail, fax or e-mail. An application form and more details are available at www.sd.bbb.org. On the BBB website homepage, look for “Announcements,” then click “2010 Torch Awards.” For more information, phone Andrea McNelis at the BBB offices, (858) 496-2141, or via e-mail at amcnelis@sandiego.bbb.org.

Five students will be awarded with cash scholarships of $1,500, $1,250, $1,000, $750 and $500 at the BBB’s 2010 Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics presentation luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 7. The presenting sponsor of the 2010 BBB Torch Award Scholarship is Sycuan Casino. The BBB’s scholarship program is part of its 2010 Torch Awards program, which honors businesses and non-profit organizations for demonstrating ethical business practices.

Last year, a total of 166 essays from students attending 65 different high schools were evaluated by the judges. Last year's scholarship recipients were students from University City High School, San Dieguito Academy High School, San Diego High School of Business, Grossmont High School and Cathedral Catholic High School