Announcing National Student Essay Contest

Everyone everywhere is talking about the power of AI – and we’re inviting middle and high school student voices to join that conversation with The First Annual R.E.A.L. ® Discussion National Essay Contest. We invite the thousands students who have used R.E.A.L.® this year to submit an essay that touches on at least two of the following questions:

>> Why does face-to-face discussion matter in a tech-centric world? How do you think face-to-face conversations will matter to your future? 

>> What specific experiences with R.E.A.L.® Discussion this year have shaped the way you think about the power of conversation?

>> If you were to make a prediction about discussion in schools in ten years, what role does AI play in R.E.A.L.® Discussions? Feel free to go full sci-fi here! 

>> What parts of ChatGPT’s poem below do you agree or disagree with – and why?

In a world that’s tech-centric and fast,
Human conversations seem a thing of the past,
But the power of talk,
Can never be balked,
For it connects us in ways that will last.

Through screens and devices we type,
Communicating with speed that’s ripe,
But nothing compares,
To the sound of our heirs,
As we chat and discuss without hype.

So let’s not forget the value,
Of face-to-face talks that imbue,
Our lives with meaning,
And leave us beaming,
With a sense of connection that’s true.

Details: Middle School student submissions should be 200-400 words; Upper School 300-500 words. Email submissions to Hello@REALdiscussion.org by June 1. Winners announced June 15. Prize: plaque, photo opp, coverage on our blog/social.