082815essayrulesThe April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a terrible tragedy, killing 168 innocent people. Service, Honor and Kindness defined the response to this heartbreaking event, called the Oklahoma Standard. The 2015 Student Essay Contest uses text passages to highlight how communities across the nation commit acts of Service, Honor and Kindness, the American Standard, every day in response to violence, terrorism and other senseless tragedies.

Students in grades 5-12 may participate and are eligible to win cash prizes. Winning essays will be available online.

Over 2,000 students participated in the Memorial’s 2014 Student Essay Contest from 11 states. From those essays, teachers submitted their top selections resulting in 741 entries. Winning essays came from students in Nevada and Oklahoma.

Essay Quotes

Grades 5 through 8

“…and we’ve asked all of our players and all of our staff when they arrive, if they’re new, to come through the Museum and Memorial, to come in contact with the stories, with the recovery efforts, with the optimism and the compassion, and to try to connect the dots a little bit about why people are so passionate about Oklahoma and Oklahoma City.” – Sam Presti, Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager

Grades 9 through 12

“In the minutes following the attack, the people of Oklahoma City did something the rest of us, watching from afar, found hard to fathom. You ran toward darkness. You ran toward pain. You ran toward danger and destruction.” – James Comey, FBI Director

allegiance-credit-union

We are grateful to Allegiance Credit Union for sponsoring this contest, and proud of our continued partnership. The Federal Employees Credit Union, which changed its name to Allegiance Credit Union in 2003, was located on the third floor of the Murrah Building and lost 18 of its 33 employees in the bombing. Six of the surviving employees were seriously injured. With the assistance of other credit unions and volunteers, they were able to reopen within 48 hours at a temporary site furnished by Tinker Federal Credit Union. “The legacy of FECU, the restoration, and continued growth as Allegiance Credit Union makes members and employees alike, proud to be credit union people,” said Lynette Leonard, Allegiance Credit Union President/CEO.