Rockville Campus
51 Mannakee Street
Rockville, MD 20850

Germantown Campus
20200 Observation Drive
Germantown, MD 20876

Takoma Park Campus
7600 Takoma Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912

Student Information

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Beacon?
Beacon is a competition and one-day conference for students at two-year colleges in the Middle Atlantic States.

Why participate?
Beacon provides an opportunity to submit an excellent paper into a competition with other students' papers. If chosen as a finalist, you will have the opportunity to share your research with others by giving an oral presentation of your paper at the conference.

What other benefits are there?
Beacon awards $100 for the outstanding paper in each of the academic categories. Also, selection as a Beacon scholar is a fine addition to your resume.

How do I submit a paper?
First, find a faculty mentor to work with (probably the professor who assigned the paper, but it can be any professor who is willing and with whom you want to work). The paper should be one that involves research and original thinking. Next, work with your mentor to revise the paper and get it ready for submission. Pick a category that fits your paper. Click here for the Beacon Information flyer and paper cover sheet.

Paper Format -- There is a maximum length of 5000 words. The paper should be typed, double-spaced on 8 1/2 x 11" white paper with left-hand margin of 1 1/2" and at least 1" top, bottom and right. Pages must be numbered with Arabic numerals in the upper right-hand corner. References should be incorporated according to the guidelines of the discipline (MLA, APA, etc.). Name of the student or college must not appear anywhere other than on the title page; however, the title of the paper should appear at the top of the first page of the text.

The title page/cover sheet must include:

Student's name
Home address
Home telephone number
Name and address of college
Signature, name, and telephone number of faculty mentor
Title of course for which paper was written
Title of paper
Category of submission and alternate category

Submitting Papers - Make six copies of your paper and send it to:

BEACON 2005
Montgomery College
51 Mannakee Street
Rockville, MD 20850
Attn: Prof. Dedee Aleccia

All entries must be postmarked no later than March 1, 2005. Entries will not be returned.

May I submit more than one paper?
Students may submit more than one paper, but only one paper per category. However, students can only present in one category at The Beacon Conference. If a student is a finalist in more than one category,it is the decision of the host campus steering committee as to which panel the student participates in.

Must my instructor recommend my paper for submission?
Beacon is meant to honor the teaching-learning relationship between instructor and student. Students may take the initiative by asking their instructors for help in preparing their papers for Beacon.

Who at Montgomery College can tell me more about Beacon?
The Beacon representatives at Montgomery College are:

Professor Dedee Aleccia, Co-director
Phone: 240-567-7453
dedee.aleccia@montgomerycollege.edu

Professor Tom Anderson, Co-director
Phone: 240-567-5143
tom.anderson@montgomerycollege.edu

Professor Sue Adler, Co-director
Phone: 240-567-5086
sue.adler@montgomerycollege.edu

Professor Roxanne Davidson, Co-director
Phone: 240-567-7505
roxanne.davidson@montgomerycollege.edu