IMMIGRATION WRITING PROGRAM CELEBRATES GENERATIONS
SAN ANTONIO, TX – As the founding partner of the law firm DE MOTT, MCCHESNEY, CURTRIGHT &
ARMENDARIZ (DMCA), JOSEPH B. DE MOTT helped bring the CELEBRATE AMERICA writing program to San
Antonio. Now, as he retires, the firm that bears his name is continuing its mission to educate students on the
benefits of immigration.
“We’re very proud to have supported CELEBRATE AMERICA over the years,” says LANCE CURTRIGHT, a partner in
the firm (which has faciitated the San Antonio chapter of the program since 2004). “And we’re looking forward
to supporting it for many more years to come.”
The CELEBRATE AMERICA program is sponsored nationally by the AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL, and is
open to all public, private, or home-schooled students at the fifth grade level. “The students of today will be the
decision makers of tomorrow, so it’s essential to make sure they’re educated on issues like immigration,” says
partner RUTH LOZANO MCCHESNEY. “That’s why programs like this are so important. They help students learn
by taking part in the conversation.”
In recent years, the local chapter of the program has gained a partner in the INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES,
which has judged entries and donated prizes for winning students. As Christian Clark, Senior Program
Coordinator at the Institute, explains, “The goal of the Institute is to share all the different cultures that make up
our state. And that’s a part of CELEBRATE AMERICA too. So when the firm invited us to be part of the program, it
was a great opportunity to share and expand on our shared mission.”
In preparation for the 2015-2016 school year, DMCA is inviting students and their families to participate in
CELEBRATE AMERICA. Participants can write a poem, essay, or short story on the subject of “Why I Am Glad
America Is A Nation Of Immigrants”; all entries must be 500 words or less, and must be submitted by E-mail to
NIKKI YOUNG, Assistant Coordinator for the program, at Nikki.Young@DMCAUSA.com no later than 3/27/2016
All entries will be judged by a panel of judges from around the city. One public-school student, and one privateor
home-school student, will be selected, and each will receive $100 cash, a replica of the Statue of Liberty, and
a gift certificate from the Institute of Texan Cultures. Other awards will be presented to the second and third
place winners in each category. In addition, the teacher who submits the most entries will also be awarded $100
cash.
Participating students and teachers in past years have also been invited to attend a naturalization ceremony, and
to read , and expect to be invited again in 2016.
“Throughout the program, we’ve always reached out to area schools, and we’ve visited them to talk about what
immigration means,” says CURTRIGHT. “That’s going to continue, and we’ll continue to reach out to students and
their families.” McChesney adds, “Immigration is always going to be a hot topic in our national discourse, which
makes what we do so necessary. Education, especially about immigration, isn’t just the teachers’ mission. It’s not
just the students’ mission, or the parents’ mission. It’s everybody’s mission.”
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For more information about the CELEBRATE AMERICA program, please visit celebrateamericawritingcontest.org
(select “Find a Contest,” then “Texas,” then “San Antonio”), or call 210-590-1844.