New York,
NY (February
7,
2005) --
Not yet ready for the National Spelling Bee, miles away from the Intel Science Talent Search, the ten kindergartners and first-graders, selected as grand-prize winners in the first ever
Ready, Freddy! National Show-and-Tell Contest, are earning their place in the academic spotlight. From family heirlooms and vacation mementos, to rocks and bones, to books and toys -- over 1,200 kids from all 50 states submitted their most cherished items in the national contest. Ten lucky grand-prize winners were selected to present their winning objects on stage in a national show in New York City on April 1, 2005 and be crowned Kings or Queens of Show-and-Tell. The contest is based on
Ready, Freddy! The King of Show-and-Tell, the second title in the
Ready, Freddy! series, popular among kindergarten and first-graders.
The grand-prize winners and their winning objects are:
Robert from
Anaktuvuk Pass, AK - Traditional Eskimo clothing
Katie from
Lake Havasu City, AZ - Bottled bat
Justin from
Castro Valley, CA - Musical recorder
Tyla from
Darien, GA - Turtle shell
Meghan from
Farmington Hills, MI - Tap dance trophy
Elizabeth from
Rockford, MI - Robert Wadlow's big shoe (world's tallest man)
Claire from
Elsberry, MO - Falling star
Hannah from
Pearland, TX - Heart pump
Franklin from
Richmond, VA - Great-grandfather's hand prosthesis
Sam from
Franklin, WI - Map of Wisconsin made of cheese
The
Ready, Freddy! National Show-and-Tell Contest was created by Scholastic Book Clubs, a division of Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company, to promote the creativity that is at the heart of why teachers “show-and-tell” in the early grades. “Show-and-tell is a wonderful classroom activity that helps build a community of language learners,” said Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic. “It encourages oral expression and gives young students a real purpose to present themselves, and at the same time it helps improve the listening and comprehending skills of the audience.”
To enter, students in SeeSaw® Book Club (grades K-1) were asked to send in a photo or draw a picture of their favorite show-and-tell object (no live animals), and include the name of the object, as well as one sentence describing it (videotaped entries were optional). Each grand-prize winner (and a parent or guardian) receives an all-expense paid trip to the
Ready, Freddy! National Show-and-Tell Show in the Scholastic Auditorium in New York City, where he/she will present the winning object on stage, and get a chance to meet Abby Klein, author of the
Ready, Freddy! children's book series. In addition, grand-prize winners will each receive a 100-book classroom library for their school, and a signed set of
Ready, Freddy! books for their home.
“Selecting ten winners from all the clever and entertaining entries that we received wasn't an easy task, and we congratulate all the kindergartners and first-graders who entered this fun contest,” said Judy Newman, President, Scholastic Book Clubs and Scholastic At Home. “We are excited to host the first ever
Ready, Freddy! National Show-and-Tell Show and look forward to honoring the lucky grand-prize winners in New York City.”
Written by Abby Klein, a first-grade and kindergarten teacher, the popular
Ready, Freddy! series presents the trials and tribulations of first grader Freddy Thresher, his family, and his friends. In
Ready, Freddy! The King of Show-and-Tell, Freddy has a problem. He has already shown his class his entire shark collection and everything from his treasure box. While his best friend, Robbie, has brought in the coolest artifact in the whole world - a real alligator head! Fortunately, Freddy rescues a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest. If only he can get the little bird to school without his mom-the Neat Freak who won't allow animals in the house-and his teacher, Ms. Wushy, noticing, he'll finally be the King of Show-and-Tell!
The winners' travel is sponsored by American Airlines, official airline of the
Ready, Freddy! National Show-and-Tell Contest, and the world's largest airline. For the past four years, American Airlines has also been a proud supporter of Scholastic "Read For....," a global classroom reading initiative.
For 56 years, Scholastic Book Clubs have provided monthly catalogues offering top quality books and reading materials from all publishers to teachers in pre-school through high school. Today, Scholastic Book Clubs reach over one million teachers each month, providing the most sought-after titles at affordable prices for children in classrooms nationwide.
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site,
www.scholastic.com.