TEACHER FELLOWSHIPS, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS
November 17—Higher education: Applications are due for the College Board 2004 Inspiration Awards. The awards recognize three public high schools that demonstrate excellence in academic growth and help disadvantaged students achieve their higher education goals despite social, cultural, and economic challenges. Public high schools in the United States with more than 40 percent of students participating in the federal free or reduced price lunch program are eligible to apply. Each winner receives a $25,000 award.
Contact: Office of Public Affairs, CB, 45 Columbus Ave., New York, NY 10023; (212) 713-8052; fax: (212) 713-8184; e-mail: publicaffairs@collegeboard.org ; Web site: www.collegeboard.org/inspirationawards.
December 1—Service learning: Applications are due for the Boyer Center’s Best Practices 2004 Service Learning Award. The award recognizes service learning programs in elementary schools that connect curriculum and the community. Three winners will each receive $10,000 prizes.
Contact: Donald Murk, BC, Messiah College, One College Ave., Grantham, PA 17027; (717) 796-5077; e-mail: dmurk@messiah.edu; Web site: www.boyercenter.org.
December 1— History: Applications are due for the 2004 OAH Mary K. Bonsteel Tachau Precollegiate Teaching award, sponsored by the Organization of American Historians. The award recognizes precollegiate teachers who seek to improve history education as well as teacher and student development in the understanding of history. The winner will receive a $750 cash award, a one- year membership in OAH and the organization’s Magazine of History. Precollegiate history or social studies teachers are eligible to apply.
Contact: OAH, 112 North Bryan Ave., P.O. Box 5457, Bloomington, IN 47408-5457; (812) 855-7311; Web site: www.oah.org.
December 8—Character education: Applications are due for the 2004 National Schools of Character awards, sponsored by the Character Education Partnership. The awards recognize K-12 schools and districts that have developed exceptional character education initiatives that improve school climate, academic performance, and student behavior.
School districts that have been using character education programs for four years, and public and private schools that have had character education programs for three years, are eligible to apply. Each winner will receive a $2,000 cash award and national recognition.
Contact: National Schools of Character, CEP, 1025 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 1011, Washington, DC 20036; (800) 988-8081; Web site: www.character.org/eventsaward s/nsoc.
December 19—Substitutes: Applications are due for workshop proposals for the SubSolutions Conference, sponsored by the Substitute Teaching Institute. Managing staff and educators who oversee and train substitute teachers are invited to submit presentations on issues such as the recruitment, training, and retention of substitute teachers.
Contact: Andrae Ferguson, STI, Utah State University, 6516 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-6516; (800) 922-4693; fax: (435) 797-0944; e-mail: andrae@subed.usu.edu; Web site: http://subed.usu.edu/subsolutions.
December 31—Literacy: Applications are due for the ClassroomCare contest, sponsored by Scholastic Book Clubs. Teachers in grades K-8 that order books through Scholastic are asked to record the number of books their classes read. For every class that reads 100 books by December 31, Scholastic will donate 100 new books to charity.
Contact: Julie Livingston, Scholastic, Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012; (212) 343-6794; fax: (212) 343-6930; e-mail: jlivingston@scholastic.com; Web site: www.scholastic.com/classroomcare .
December 31—Technology: Applications are due for the 21st Century Schools of Distinction Awards from the Intel Foundation. The awards recognize K-12 schools that use technology and teamwork, involve parents, and have strong professional development programs.
Public, private, charter, and parochial schools, and schools under the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, are eligible to apply. Eighteen awards of $10,000 each will be issued to schools in nine categories. The two best schools will each receive $25,000 awards.
Contact: Web site: www.blueribbonschools.com/award.
January 10—Fellowships: Applications are due for the Eleanor Roosevelt Teacher Fellowships from the American Association of University Women. The fellowships provide professional development opportunities for female public school teachers. Recipients will receive up to $5,000 each to attend conferences and workshops on gender-equity, attend a five-day institute, and receive seed money for school-based gender-equity programs. Applicants are also eligible to apply for $10,000 project implementation grants and $2,000 dissemination grants for gender-equity projects.
Contact: AAUW Educational Foundation, Dept. 60, 2201 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52243-4030; (319) 337-1716 ext. 60; Web site: www.aauw.org.
January 28— Scholarships: Applications are due for the 2004 Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning from Inspiration Software, a Portland- Ore.-based software publisher that develops visual learning tools for K-12 students. Scholarships support professional development for teachers that use or integrate visual learning and technology in the curriculum. Teachers in K- 12 schools and colleges that have at least one year of experience are eligible to apply. Thirty scholarships of $750 each are available.
Contact: Charis Loeung, IS, 7412 S.W. Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy., Suite 102, Portland, OR 97225-2167; (800) 877-4292; fax: (503) 297-4676; e-mail: cloeung@inspiration.com; Web site: www.inspiration.com.
January 29—Partnerships: Applications are due for the National School and Business Partnership Awards from the Council for Corporate and School Partnerships, which was founded by the Coca-Cola Foundation to identify and support partnerships between schools and businesses.
The awards will recognize six partnerships between K-12 schools and businesses that demonstrate a solid foundation, successful implementation, sustainability, and strong academic impact.
Contact: Southard Davis, Widmeyer Communications, 1825 Connecticut Avenue N.W, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20009; fax: (202) 667-0902; e-mail: Southard.Davis@widmeyer.com; Web site: www.corpschoolpartners.org.
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS
December 1— Science: Applications are due for the Sydney’s Star Invention Contest, sponsored by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Students from the U.S. and Canada in grades 1-8 are asked to submit a creative idea, working prototype or invention, or a design that they feel could change the world.
Four grand prize winners will receive a one-year subscription to Science Weekly, have their idea illustrated by author Peter Reynolds, and receive an autographed copy of his children’s book Sydney’s Star for themselves and their school library.
Contact: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Marketing Department, Sydney’s Star Contest, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10020; Web site: www.fablevision.com/sydney.
December 1—Scholarship: Applications are due for the Teachers Against Prejudice essay contest. Middle and high schools are asked to write a 600 to 750-word essay examining how television, music, and the media portray diverse groups and the impact these outlets have on stereotypes and prejudice. Two first place winners will receive $150 savings bonds. Two second place winners will receive $75 savings bonds.
Contact: TAP, PO Box 8644, New Haven, CT 06531; e-mail: contest@teachersagainstpreju dice.org; Web site: www.teachersagainstprejudice.org .
December 8—Community involvement: Applications are due for the Good-Neighbor Service-Learning Awards, sponsored by Youth Service America and State Farm Insurance Foundation. The awards recognize students and teachers who act as community leaders. Students ages five to 25, teachers, and service learning coordinators in the U.S. are eligible to apply. One hundred grants of $1,000 each will be awarded to implement service-learning projects for National Youth Service Day 2004 on April 16-18.
Contact: Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award, c/o Toyasha Vaughn, Grants Manager, Youth Service America, 1101 15th St. N.W., Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005; e-mail: goodneighbor@ysa.org; Web site: www.ysa.org/Awards/overvie w_parent.cfm.
January 9—History: Applications are due for the 2004 Young Naturalist Awards from the American Museum of Natural History. The awards recognize excellence in science and communication among public, private, and home-school students in grades 7-12.
Each applicant will be asked to conduct environmental research and write an essay based on their research. Twelve scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500 will be awarded. Thirty-six finalists will also receive $50 cash awards and certificates of recognition. The teachers of the 12 award winners will receive books for their classrooms.
Contact: Young Naturalist Awards Administrator, NCSLET, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024; Web site: http://www.amnh .org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards.
January 9—Safety: Applications are due for Safety Belt Poster Contest, sponsored by GEICO, the nation’s fifth largest auto insurance company. The contest asks students in private and public schools from age 6 to 15 to submit posters that urge automobile drivers and passengers to buckle up.
The grand-prize winners in three age groups will receive $450 awards, $500 worth of art supplies for their schools, and have their posters printed and distributed nationwide. First, second, and third place winners in eight regions will also receive awards ranging from $50 to $150 each.
Contact: GEICO Poster Contest, One Geico Plaza, Washington, DC 20076; (800) 861-8380; Web site: http://geicodirect.com/info center/poster.htm.
