New York,
NY (July
23,
2004) --
This fall, just as the back-to-school season begins, Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company, will launch a new educational program and essay contest with NBC's television series, “American Dreams,” and Campbell Tomato soup. High school students ages 13-18 and who are in grades 9-12 will be asked to submit a 250-500 essay entitled, “How does your American Dream Compare to That of Your Parents?” The contest's grand prize winner will receive a $100,000 college scholarship, awarded by Campbell's Tomato soup, and an exciting opportunity to have a walk-on role on NBC's “American Dreams.” The winner of the grand prize will be announced on February 11, 2005.
To support the contest, Scholastic Marketing Partners, a division of Scholastic, is developing multi-faceted educational materials including in-school and online curriculum for teachers, student magazines and magazine advertorials for students, which will reach more than 11 million teens in 60,000 high school classrooms in September. The program provides supplemental teaching materials that enhance students' creative writing and communication skills in the classroom and at home. Teachers will be able to access the free materials at
www.campbellsdreams.com or by visiting the “New Lessons” section of Scholastic's teacher website at
http://teacher.scholastic.com. The web sites will also provide teachers with details on the essay-writing contest.
As part of the educational partnership, the Campbell's “American Dreams” Essay contest will be mirrored in a storyline of the third-year drama series, premiering on Sunday, September 26 (8-9 pm. E.T.). At the end of the show, the cast of “American Dreams” will appear in a 30-second spot to encourage student participation.
“Scholastic is thrilled to offer this exciting contest that connects high school students nationwide with their home and school environments,” said Steve Palm, Vice President, Scholastic Marketing Partners. “This is a unique program that will allow discussion at all levels in the classroom, while encouraging communication between generations at home so that they can share and compare life experiences.”
In addition to the $100,000 scholarship, the winner of the grand prize will be invited to travel to Los Angeles with a friend for a walk-on role in the American Bandstand scene of “American Dreams” during a future episode, and his/her essay will be published in one of Scholastic's award-winning classroom magazines. The winner's school will also receive a one million Campbell's Labels for Education™ bonus certificate. Campbell's Tomato soup will also award nine first prize packages including scholarships of $2,500 and 100,000 Labels for Education™ bonus certificates to the winners' schools, and teachers will receive a set of Scholastic encyclopedias, among other items.
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. 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, 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, school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries, and television networks; and the Company's Internet Site,
www.scholastic.com .