New York, NY (July 29, 2002) -- Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company, was announced as the education partner of the prestigious Declaration of Independence Road Trip, a non-profit, nonpartisan project that is taking an original copy of The Declaration of Independence on a three-and-a-half year tour that is proudly sponsored by The Home Depot. Founded by producer Norman Lear, the goal of the project is to bring the "People's Document" to all Americans — especially young people — to inspire them to see citizenship as an opportunity to participate in civic life and to exercise their rights, especially to vote.

As the Declaration of Independence Road Trip travels to cities and towns across America, it is creatively combining elements of education, entertainment and community outreach. The Road Trip is taking one of the original copies of the Dunlap broadside versions of The Declaration of Independence — printed on the night of July 4th, 1776 — and a multi-media exhibition to libraries, museums, civic centers, universities, and state capitols across the nation through November 2004. Through Scholastic's involvement, the inspirational messages of The Declaration of Independence will go directly into classrooms of millions of children, where teachers can help bring them to life.

Together, the Declaration of Independence Road Trip and Scholastic have created The Declaration of Independence: A Living Blueprint for Democracy, an in-school integrated curriculum program that premieres in October 2002. Through the generous support of The Home Depot, proud sponsor of the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, the program will be distributed free to 100,000 social studies teachers in middle and high schools nationwide. The United States Postal Service is the official carrier of the Declaration of Independence Road Trip and its educational materials.
Multi-dimensional in scope, the Scholastic Declaration of Independence boxed kit will contain standards-based, grade-appropriate materials that have been designed to bring our country's pre-eminent historic document to life for young people across America. Through multiple components designed for flexibility and ease-of-use in the classroom, this innovative program teaches American history and the history of The Declaration in a vibrant and contemporary way.

From the inspiring videotape featuring a performance reading of The Declaration of Independence by renowned actors such as Mel Gibson, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg and Renee Zellweger, to student magazines specially produced to engage and inspire young people today, these materials give teachers the tools they need to help students learn for the future. Building on the foundation of the document's 225-year-old words, yet speaking the language of today, this curriculum will help young people learn the messages of The Declaration of Independence, understand its relevance to them, and help them apply its tenets to become civically involved in the future of their country.

"The Declaration of Independence is a living document which affects peoples lives in a truly profound way," said Richard Robinson, president, CEO and chairman of Scholastic. "As a company dedicated to ensuring that all children are active citizens, we must demonstrate how relevant its messages are to young people in their everyday lives."

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Scholastic on this unique program," stated Norman Lear, project founder of The Declaration of Independence Road Trip. "The Declaration of Independence is the birth certificate of our nation — a living document that represents the ideals and promises we must strive to reach. Young people are the key, and they must know that their voices matter."

Scholastic's I'm A Patriot Contest:
As part of Scholastic's educational support for The Declaration of Independence Road Trip, Scholastic Classroom Magazines and Scholastic Book Clubs have created a nationwide classroom essay contest titled, I'm A Patriot. Students will select a particular phrase or sentence from The Declaration of Independence that inspires them and write about how it relates to a current event. The contest, which launches in October 2002, will appear in Junior Scholastic Magazine, Tab Book Club catalogs and on Scholastic's news Web site for kids at www.scholasticnews.com.

Prizes awarded to the 57 winning students of the Scholastic's I'm A Patriot essay contest include:

• Grand Prize — One top winner will receive an all-expense paid trip (with chaperone) to see The Declaration during the Road Trip Across America and attend a reception with the mayor of that city, plus the publication of the winning essay in an upcoming issue of Junior Scholastic Magazine.
• Runners-Up — 56 students will win two 25-Book American History Libraries — one for the winner, one for his/her classroom.
• The Declaration of Independence Prize Kit — All 57 student winners will receive a special Declaration of Independence Road Trip T-shirt, pin and a copy of The Declaration document with a signed certificate from Norman Lear, the pioneer of The Declaration Road Trip project.
  

Scholastic Classroom Magazines will provide year-round editorial coverage of The Declaration of Independence Road Trip in select middle and high school publications such as Scholastic News grades 4-6, Scope and The New York Times UPFRONT. Scholasticnews.com, the leading online news source for kids, will also offer classrooms information and educational materials on The Declaration of Independence to support students' learning.

The Declaration of Independence Road Trip (www.IndependenceRoadTrip.org) is a non-profit, nonpartisan project that will take an original copy of The Declaration of Independence on a three-and-a-half year tour. The tour will bring the "People's Document" directly to all Americans, especially young people, and inspire them to see citizenship as an opportunity to participate in civic life, to exercise their rights and above all, to vote.
Click here to read the letter to educators.

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Scholastic (NMS: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. As a global children's publishing and media company serving the needs of parents, teachers, and children, Scholastic provides book and software distribution through school book clubs, school book fairs and to classrooms, as well as through the retail trade. The company holds a leadership position in direct-to-home children's book clubs. Since 1920, Scholastic has created quality educational materials for schools and has expanded its reach to include the distribution of books, software, toys, online learning services and television programming direct to the home. Scholastic's Library Publishing division is the leading print and online publisher of children's reference materials. Internationally, Scholastic operates wholly owned companies in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Scholastic web site <http://www.scholastic.com> is a leading provider of educational services online for parents, teachers and children.

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