Welcome to the American Legion - Department of New Jersey

Click on the following links for more information on our Programs:

American Legion Baseball

Oratorical Contest

American Legion College

Scholarships

Safety Committee

Public Relations and Publicity Awards

American Legion Americanism Award

American Legion Jersey Boys State

American Legion Baseball

To promote American Legion baseball to the end that every post in the state will sponsor a baseball team and to coordinate the program throughout the department.

Chairman	Frank Calandrillo
Vice Chairmen	Robert Migliore Ronald Krowiak Jerry Sparta
Rules Interpreter	Frank Calandrillo
Dist #1 Chairman - David Kobrick	Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Sussex & Hudson
Dist #2 Chairman - Richard Zalinkanskas	Essex, Hunterdon, Somerset, Union & Warren
Dist #3 Chairman - Richard Freeman	Mercer, Middlesex & Monmouth
Dist #4 Chairman - Russell Kolins	Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean & Salem

New Jersey American Legion Baseball

THE AMERICAN LEGION
High School Oratorical Scholarship Program
“A Constitutional Speech Contest”

The contest was developed primarily to instill a better knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States in high school students. Other objectives include the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly, and the preparation for acceptance of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship.

Another purpose of the program is to assist students in paying the high cost of a college education. The first place winner takes home $18,000 and the next two finishers receive $16,000 and $14,000. First round participants in the National Contest receive a $1,500 scholarship. Second round participants who do not advance to the final round will receive an additional $1,500 scholarship

The New Jersey Contest will award a $4,000 scholarship for the first place winner, $2,500 for second place, $2,000 for third place and $1,000 each for forth and fifth place.

The New Jersey winner will advance to the National Finals Contests, a weekend’s competition of Quarter-final, Semi-final and National final contests that are held in the headquarters city of The American Legion, Indianapolis, Indiana. The 2013 Contests will be held April 19-21, 2013, University Place Conference Center and Hotel, IUPUI.

The contact information listed is provided for your convenience. Find the county that you live in or attend school in and contact the associated District Chairman for guidance.

Chairman	Clifford Griffiths cliffgriffiths@comcast.net 856-939-1531
Vice Chairman	Joe Gugliuzza JoeG325@aol.com 732-455-8525

New Jersey State Finals will be held Saturday, March 16, 2013, War Memorial Building, Trenton, NJ

District Chairmen
Dist #1 Chairman - Richard Cook Mrcook255@aol.com (973-523-6859)	Bergen, Essex, Hudson & Passaic counties Saturday, March 2, 2013, Raymond Pellington Post # 77, 52 Front St. Paterson, N.J. 07522 Start time 1:00 pm. Passaic County
Dist #2 Chairman - Daniel McCole Ruthie152@hughes.net (570-296-2144)	Morris, Sussex, Union & Warren counties Sunday, February 17, 2013, Pvt. Peter S. Hotalen Post 157, 325 Rt 206 S, Branchville, NJ 07826 Start time 11:00 am. Contestants must be at Post 1/2 hour before start time Sussex County Snow Date Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 10:00 am.
Dist #3 Chairman - Joe Gugliuzza JoeG325@aol.com (732-455-8525)	Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset & Monmouth counties Saturday, February 16th, 2013, Eatontown Borough Hall, 47 Broad Street (Route 71) Eatontown, New Jersey 07724 Start time 9.00 am. Contestants must be in place by 8:30 AM. Monmouth County Snow date will be Saturday, February 23, 2013, same place and same time.
Dist #4 Chairman - Jim Barrett jbarrett@archerlaw.com (609-238-9444)	Burlington, Camden, Gloucester & Ocean counties Sunday, February 24, 2013, Stetser-Lamartine Post 281, 2101 Chews Landing Road, Blackwood, NJ 08012 Start time 9:00 am. Contestants must be at Post by 8:30 am Camden County
Dist #5 Chairman - Wallace Kaenzig (609-965-0979)	Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland & Salem counties Friday, February 22, 2013, Pilgrim Academy, Galloway Township Start time 1:00 pm. Contestants must be at Post by 12:30 pm Atlantic County

2012-2013 Oratorical Contest

Eligibility
Eligible participants in The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program shall be citizens of or lawful permanent residents of the United States.

All contestants must be bona fide students herein described as any student under the age of twenty (20) years on the date of the national contest who is presently enrolled in a high school or junior high school (public, parochial, military, private or home school) in which the curriculum of said school is considered to be of high school level, commencing with grade nine (9) and terminating with grade twelve (12). Students must be enrolled in high school or junior high school during the time of participation at any level of The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program.

High school students that graduate early during the school year are eligible to compete if they are not enrolled in a college, university, trade school or other institution of higher learning at the time of the department finals contest. Contestants must either be legally domiciled within or attend an educational institution within the department (state) where they enter competition. Contestants can enter competition in only one department.

The three finalists of the national contest will be ineligible for further participation at any level.

The Prepared Oration
The prepared oration must be on some aspect of the Constitution of the United States with emphasis on the duties and obligations of a citizen to our government. The same subject and oration used in the department contest must be used in the national contest.

The prepared oration must be the original effort of each contestant and must not take up less than eight (8) minutes or more than ten (10) minutes for delivery. It must be delivered in the English language.

Contestants may have in their possession a copy of their prepared oration in the first holding room. They may consult the copy of their prepared oration, until they exit the holding room in order to begin the contest, at which time the copy of the prepared oration will be surrendered to the contest official who is monitoring the first holding room.

In the prepared oration, as well as in the assigned topic discourse, quotations must be indicated as such. Where quotations are more than ten words in length, the author’s name must be given in the manuscript and cited orally. The singing of a song(s) is not permitted and will result in the immediate disqualification of the contestant. The contestant may, however, quote a verse(s) of a song provided proper attribution is made.

Assigned Topic Discourse
The assigned topic discourse must not consume less than three (3) minutes or more than five (5) minutes for delivery. The purpose of the assigned topic discourse is to test the speaker’s knowledge of the subject, the extent of his or her research and the ability to discuss the topic as related to the basic principles of government under the Constitution.

The assigned topic shall be drawn by the contest official in full view of the audience immediately before the last speaker begins delivery of his/her prepared oration and will be made known to the audience and each contestant approximately five (5) minutes prior to the time of delivery. The topic will be on some phase of the Constitution of the United States as listed under assigned topics in Chapter Four.

All contestants at each contest level are required to speak in the English language on the same assigned topic.

It is acceptable to utilize or incorporate short phrases of a foreign language into the prepared oration and/or assigned topic in order to develop the argument, establish a point, etc. It is to be understood that the vast majority of the prepared oration and/or assigned topic must still be delivered in the English language.

Dress
Uniforms of any kind are not permitted. Appropriate business attire is required of all contestants. Contestants are not permitted to wear awards and medals from previous competition.

Assigned Topics for 2013 contest

Article II
section 1, Paragraph 5: No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.

Amendment 22
First sentence: No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.

Amendment 2
A well regulated Militia, being nesessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment 24
The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax.

Awards For 2012-2013 Department Finals
1st Place	$4,000
2nd Place	$2,500
3rd Place	$2,000
4th Place	$1,000
5th Place	$1,000

American Legion College

The 57^th Annual American Legion Leadership College at the National Guard Training Center, Sea Girt, NJ.

April 19, 20, 21, 2013

Application will be on-line in December and mailed to Posts in January

Applications must be received at Department Headquarter at a date to be determined

For Forms click here

Courses Offered
1.	Basic \| Advanced \| Club Management
2.	Service Officers School - Chaplain's Course
3.	Membership Course

Scholarships

The American Legion, Department of New Jersey, Scholarship

Two	$4,000 ($1,000 per year for 4 years)
Four	$2,000 ($1,000 per year for 2 years)
Two	$1,000 ($1,000 for 1 year)

Application forms must be postmarked no later than February 15, 2013.
(For applications see Forms & Documents, or contact Post/Department)

Eligibility
1.	Applicant must be a natural or adopted descendant of a member of The American Legion, Department of New Jersey (son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, etc.)
2.	Applicant’s forbearer must be a current member of The American Legion, Department of New Jersey, or if deceased, a MEMBER AT TIME of death.
3.	Applicant must be a member of the graduating class of high school including Vo-tech for the year 2013.
4.	Applicant must use the award the year he or she received it.

Safety Committee

2012 - 2013 Safety Poster Contest

SAFETY POSTER CONTEST FOR THE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY DISABLED AND HANDICAPPED.

This is a project of the Department Safety Committee to bring our challenged youth into the Department Safety activities. This project was approved by the Department at a Department meeting held on Saturday, August 18, 1990 at the War memorial Building in Trenton.

The contest is to be started in each participating school - Dates to be determined

For Forms and Additional Documentation please click here

2012 - 2013 Safety Essay Contest

Safety Essay Contest is open to 6^th, 7^th and 8^th Grade students in Public, Private and parochial Schools throughout New Jersey.

Dates to be determined

For Forms and Additional Documentation please click here

Public Relations and Publicity Awards

The Public Relations & Publicity Committee will judge the following awards:

FITHIAN AWARD
Awarded to the Post that best demonstrates the history of that Post for the year (Mar 2012 - Feb 2013)

NEW JERSEY PAST DEPARTMENT COMMANDERS' AWARD
Awarded to the County that best demonstrates the history of that County for the year (Mar 2012 - Feb 2013)

MOST EFFECTIVE USE OF MEDIA AWARD
Awarded to the Post that demonstrates the best use of local media outlets to promote The American Legion and creating community awareness, as determined by the committee. (Mar 2012 - Feb 2013)

WEBSITES
Awarded to the Best Post and County, as determined by the committee.

NEWSLETTERS
Awarded to the Post newsletter that best meet the goal of keeping their members informed, as determined by the committee.

All winners will receive a Plaque.

For Forms and Additional Documentation please click here

American Legion Americanism Award

Coloring Contest

2013 coloring contest shall be distributed to students in the 4^th and 5^th Grades by various Posts throughout the state. The coloring of the picture will be attested to by the student's teacher. Neatness and accuracy in coloring the picture are most important in this undertaking.

Posts will judge their own contests. First place winners will be turned over to the County Americanism Chairman who will select the first place county winner to be turned over to Department Chairman.

1st Place	Gold Medal and $300 check
2nd Place	Silver Medal and $200 check
3rd Place	Bronze Medal and $100 check

Other Americanism Awards

Time frame for all awards is March 1, 2012 - February 28, 2013, inclusive

Department Community Service - Post

Americanism - Post

Combined Activities - Post

The All Round Americanism Award - Post

Department Distinguished Service - Individual

Department Medal of Valor - Individual

Special Heroism Award - Individual

Unarmed Public Safety Personnel Dedicated

Service/Valor - Individual

Fire Fighter of the Year "Valor Award"

Fire Fighter of the Year Award

First Aid Member of the Year Award

Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

Educator of the Year Award

For Forms and additional Documentation please click here

American Legion Jersey Boys State

Held at Rider University every year beginning on Father's Day, ALJBS has a strong tradition of education, patriotism and excellence in the development of tomorrow's leaders. For further information, click "here" (please link with their website aljbs.org)