Lake Tahoe and Carson Valley students in grades 7-12 have an opportunity win cash in an essay contest.

This year’s Fleet Reserve Association Branch 137’s theme is What Patriotism Means to Me. Essays must be 350 words.

This is a national contest, with the overall prize of $5,000. Each grade level will receive other recognition.

Each entrant must be sponsored by an FRA member or branch. Winners are selected at the branch level in each grade category, which are forwarded to compete in one of FRA’s eight regions. Regional winners are then forwarded to the Association’s National Americanism Committee, where first-, second- and third-place winners are selected in each grade category. The grand national winner is selected from those writers.