FSCA NEWS

Media Contact:   Michele Capots

Telephone:           202.351.0436

Email:                    mcapots@oceanconservancy.org

Ocean Conservancy Reminds Beachgoers the Summer is Only Half-Way Through: It’s Never too Late to Start a Sea Change

Washington DC – As we celebrate this holiday weekend, Ocean Conservancy reminds beachgoers that it’s never too late to Start a Sea Change. Register now for the International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest volunteer event of its kind, and be entered in a grand prize drawing for a new Canon Powershot Digital Camera. Official rules can be found at www.oceanconservancy.org/icc

Last year, 378,000 volunteers in 76 countries removed six million pounds of trash. The majority of trash collected along beaches and waterways around the world is the result of shore-line and recreational activities, which means we need to change our individual behaviors that are trashing our beaches. Recycle. Use reusable bags. Throw trash in the proper receptacles. Small strides make a world of difference.

Trash in the ocean kills one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles each year through ingestion and entanglement. Last year, volunteers found 81 birds, 63 fish, 49 crabs and lobsters, 30 mammals, 11 reptiles and one snake entangled in debris that included discarded fishing line, fishing net, rope, plastic bags and six-pack holders.

“The ocean is the lifeforce system of our planet and everyone has a personal responsibility to contribute to its health,” said Laura Capps, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications. “There are things we can do every day to fight for healthy, thriving waters. After all, trash doesn’t fall from the sky, it falls from our hands.”

Start a Sea Change this summer. Join the International Coastal Cleanup on September 20^th, a worldwide celebration of a year-long effort of preventing trash. The winner of the drawing will be announced September 22^nd. Register now by visiting www.coastalcleanup.org

SAMHSA's new Homelessness Resource Center (HRC) Web site launched this week. Targeted toward providers who work with people who are homeless, the Web site shares state-of-the art knowledge, evidence-based practices, and practical resources.

It’s the middle of summer, and your teens are on the couch with a pizza. Again. Or in front of the computer. Or doing nothing but hanging out at the mall, texting friends.

It’s not completely their fault. The teen job market is the worst it’s been since World War II. And for African-American kids, it’s far worse—fully one third are unemployed, which is six times the national average.

Read more and watch a video:

http://tinyurl.com/6e39ag  

What kind of DFI (Digital First Impression) do you (or your kids) make?http://www.powertolearn.com/articles/parenting_with_technology/article.shtml?ID=49

Public release date: 15-Jul-2008

Contact: Robert Bock
bockr@mail.nih.gov
301-496-5133
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Children's physical activity drops from age 9 to 15, NIH study indicates

By 15, most fail to reach recommended activity level

The activity level of a large group of American children dropped sharply between age 9 and age 15, when most failed to reach the daily recommended activity level, according to the latest findings from a long-term study by the National Institutes of Health.

The analysis is one of the largest, most comprehensive of its kind to date.

The researchers evaluated the children to determine whether they achieved the minimum 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) recommended for children.

At age 9, the children averaged roughly three hours of MVPA on weekdays and weekends. By age 15, however, they averaged only 40 minutes per weekday, and 35 minutes per weekend.

"Lack of physical activity in childhood raises the risk for obesity and its attendant health problems later in life," said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). "Helping American children maintain appropriate activity levels is a major public health goal requiring immediate action."

The analysis was conducted on data collected for the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a long term study of more than 1,000 children from ethnically and economically diverse backgrounds. The study collected information on various other aspects of children's health and development. It was geared toward gathering information on children's experience in various child care arrangements but did not constitute a nationally representative sample of the United States as a whole.

The analysis, appearing in the July 16 Journal of the American Medical Association, was undertaken by Philip Nader, M.D., Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San Diego, and other coauthors from the study.

Beginning at age 9, the researchers recorded the activity levels of more than 800 children for four to seven days. The children's activity was recorded with an accelerometer, a device that records movement, which the children wore on a belt. The researchers conducted follow up tracking at ages 11, 12, and 15.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that children and adolescents engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. (See http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/default.htm.)

As examples of moderate physical activity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list walking briskly, dancing, swimming, or bicycling on level terrain. Vigorous physical activity includes such activities as jogging, high-impact aerobic dancing, swimming continuous laps, or bicycling uphill. Additional information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/everyone/recommendations/children.htm

The researchers found that, at ages 9 and 11, more than 90 percent of the children met the recommended level of 60 minutes or more of MVPA each day. By age 15, however, only 31 percent met the recommended level on weekdays, and 17 percent met the recommended level on weekends. The researchers estimated that physical activity declined by about 40 minutes per day each year until, by age 15, most failed to reach the daily recommended activity level. On average, boys were more active than girls, spending 18 more minutes per weekday in MVPA than did girls, and 13 more minutes per day in MVPA on weekends. The researchers estimated the age at which girls dropped below the recommended level of 60 minutes of MVPA as 13.1 years for weekdays, compared to boys, who dropped below the recommended level at 14.7 years. For weekends, girls dropped below the recommended level at 12.6 years, and boys at 13.4 years.

"This decline augurs poorly for levels of physical activity in American adults and potentially for health over the life-course," the study authors wrote. "Consequently, there is need for program and policy action as early as possible at the family, community, school, health care, and governmental levels to address the problem of decreasing physical activity with increasing age."

Dr. Nader explained that local school systems have a role to play, by ensuring children receive periodic recess breaks and daily active physical education. He added that local governments also could strive to provide safe biking and walking routes around schools.

"But parents don't need to wait for big changes" Dr. Nader said. "Whenever possible, parents could encourage family walks with their children. Even walking for as few as 15 minutes a day would provide health benefits. On weekends, family outings could be centered on longer walks or biking."

###

Increasing physical activity is a primary goal of We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition), a science-based national education program from the National Institutes of Health to help children ages 8-13 maintain a healthy weight. We Can! provides tips, evidence-based curricula and other resources for parents and community programs to help children and their families make better food choices, increase physical activity, and reduce recreational screen time. More information is available at http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov or toll-free at 866-35-WE CAN (866-359-3226).

The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute's Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/nioc-cpa071108.php

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/yu-ble071708.php

Public release date: 17-Jul-2008

Contact: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University

Bullying-suicide link explored in new study by researchers at Yale

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied and suicide in children, according to a new review of studies from 13 countries published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health.

"While there is no definitive evidence that bullying makes kids more likely to kill themselves, now that we see there's a likely association, we can act on it and try to prevent it," said review lead author Young-Shin Kim, M.D., assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine's Child Study Center.

In the review, Kim and colleague Bennett Leventhal, M.D., analyzed 37 studies that examined bullying and suicide among children and adolescents. The studies took place in the United States, Canada, several European countries (including the United Kingdom and Germany), South Korea, Japan and South Africa.

Almost all of the studies found connections between being bullied and suicidal thoughts among children. Five reported that bullying victims were two to nine times more likely to report suicidal thoughts than other children were.

Not just the victims were in danger: "The perpetrators who are the bullies also have an increased risk for suicidal behaviors," Kim said.

However, the way the studies were designed made it impossible for researchers to determine conclusively whether bullying leads to suicide, Kim said. In addition, the authors report that most of the studies failed to take into account the influence of factors like gender, psychiatric problems and a history of suicide attempts.

Kim said her interest in bullying grew several years ago when she visited South Korea and heard several new slang terms referring to bullies and their victims. The words reflected "an elaborated system of bullying," she said.

According to international studies, bullying is common and affects anywhere from 9 percent to 54 percent of children. In the United States, many have blamed bullying for spurring acts of violence, including the Columbine High School massacre.

In the United States, many adults scoff at bullying and say, "Oh, that's what happens when kids are growing up," according to Kim, who argues that bullying is serious and causes major problems for children.

Kim is currently studying whether being bullied actually leads to suicide, although she acknowledges it will be difficult for researchers to get a firm grasp on a cause-and-effect relationship. She said that to confirm a definitive link, researchers would have to rule out the possibility that some unknown factor makes certain children more susceptible to both bullying and suicide.

For now, Kim said, the existing research should encourage adults to pay more attention to bullying and signs of suicidal behavior in children. "When we see kids who are targets of bullying, we should ask them if they're thinking about hurting themselves," she said. "We should evaluate and prevent these things from happening."

###

Citation: Int J Adolesc Med Health 20 (2), 2008.

Meteor is a collaborative effort within the student aid industry to
simplify and consolidate access to student financial aid information.
Sponsored by FFELP providers, and coordinated by the National Council of
Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP), the Meteor software provides
open, non-proprietary, real time access to all available aid information
for a student, and aggregates it for display to students and Financial
Aid Professionals.  NCHELP represents a nationwide network of guaranty
agencies, secondary markets, lenders, loan servicers, collectors,
schools and other organizations that provide financial assistance to
millions of American students and their families each year.  For
additional information visit www.nchelp.org/meteor.htm or contact Tim
Cameron at meteor@nchelp.org.

METEOR/NCHELP CONTACT:
Tim Cameron
meteor@nchelp.org

The National Student Clearinghouse is the most trusted source for
enrollment and degree verification in the US. A non-profit organization
established by the higher education community in 1993, the Clearinghouse
serves as a central repository and single point of contact for the
collection and timely exchange of accurate, comprehensive enrollment,
degree and certificate records on behalf of participating institutions.

More than 3,100 colleges, enrolling 91% of US college students,
participate in the Clearinghouse. Student loan providers, employers,
student credit issuers, student health insurance providers, the U.S.
Department of Education, and others access the Clearinghouse's registry
over 100 million times annually to conduct electronic student record
verifications. For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.

NATIONAL STUDENT CLEARINGHOUSE CONTACT:
Kathleen Dugan
Marketing Director
dugan@studentclearinghouse.org

Herndon, VA, July 22, 2008 -- The National Council of Higher Education
Loan Programs, Inc. (NCHELP), the Meteor Advisory Team (MAT), and the
National Student Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) today announced that
colleges and students can now track and manage their federal and private
student loan debt through the Meteor Network. The Clearinghouse provides
colleges and students with access to 100% of outstanding FFELP loans and
federal Direct Loans, in addition to billions of dollars in private
student loans through its LoanLocator service and Meteor implementation.
The Meteor Network, a shared effort of leading FFELP business partners,
provides aggregated, real-time financial aid award data to student loan
borrowers and schools. The Clearinghouse, a non-profit organization
located in Herndon, Virginia, is the nation's trusted source for degree
and enrollment information and provides reporting, verification and
research services to and on behalf of more than 3,100 participating
colleges and universities.

Meteor, a valuable service for student borrowers and schools, continues
to grow in importance as student aid volume increases and access to
accurate and timely information becomes mandatory. As a result of recent
regulatory, legislative and program changes, the percentage of students
with multiple loan servicers is expected to increase. Meteor assists
users by providing aggregated, timely and accurate information.

The Clearinghouse's secure Web site allows financial aid directors at
participating Clearinghouse colleges and universities to access Meteor
data. Institutions enrolled in the Clearinghouse's free online Student
Self-Service program can also provide their students with access to
Meteor data. The Clearinghouse uses campus-based authentication to
enable access to Meteor and its other Student Self-Service offerings
from a college's Web site. Campus-based authentication provides greater
access to valuable debt management, default aversion, and other tools
and services by using a college's authentication process to gain access
to the Meteor Network and Clearinghouse services. Access to Meteor is
available to both institutions and students at no charge.

For more information on the Meteor Network, visit
www.nchelp.org/meteor.htm. Information on the National Student
Clearinghouse is available at www.studentclearinghouse.org.

A public advertising campaign aimed at preventing cyberbullying

http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying

The Department of Education has issued the following memorandum regarding Governor Crist Signs Senate Bill 1908.  The memorandum may be viewed at:

http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5052/k12-2008-90.pdf (Memo) http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5053/k12-2008-90a.pdf (Attachment A)

Florida has more schools earning “A’s” and “B’s” than ever before according to the 2008 school grades results. Of the 2,889 schools graded this year, nearly three quarters (2,125) are considered to be high performing (receiving either an “A” or “B” grade). Additionally, the number of schools considered to be low performing decreased significantly compared to last year. Of Florida's 2,889 graded public schools earning "A" through "F" grades this year:

• 1,583 earned an "A" (55 percent), an increase of 100 schools compared to last year.
• 542 earned a "B" (19 percent), an increase of 73 schools compared to last year.
• 565 earned a "C" (20 percent), a decrease of 22 schools compared to last year.
• 154 earned a "D" (5 percent), a decrease of 62 schools compared to last year.
• 45 earned an "F" (2 percent), a decrease of 38 schools compared to last year.

The National Institutes of Health have reported that teen pregnancies in the United States rose in 2006, for the first time since 1991, according to CNN. Pregnancy in teens is "one of the key indicators for the health of the teen population because it not only reflects their health at this point, but it reflects their health and well-being for the next 20 to 40 years," said Edward J. Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Expectant mothers aged 15 to 19 are less likely to get prenatal care or gain weight appropriately, and they are also more likely to smoke than pregnant women aged 20 years or older. One advocate of measures to prevent teen pregnancies, Michele Ozumba, said a cutback in community resources over the last eight years could help explain the new data. "All small community-based organizations doing youth programming are struggling just to keep the doors open," said Ozumba, director of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention. "There are no additional resources to respond to the needs that we're seeing every day."
Read more at http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/10/teen.pregnancy/index.html

Remember summer is the riskiest time of the year when it comes to teens and marijuana. First-time marijuana use increases significantly during the summer months. Kids who are not regularly monitored by their parents are four times more likely to use.

If there are no school-sponsored activities, you need to build an activity schedule for your child. Why not make a plan now by creating a list of ideas?

 http://www.theantidrug.com/SchoolsOut/engage.asp

The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has released "America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2008." The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is one of the 22 Federal agencies that constitute the Forum.

Each year since 1997, the Forum has published this report, which includes detailed information on the welfare of children and families, alternating between a comprehensive report and a condensed version that highlights selected indicators, as is the case this year.

The report addresses such topics as family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.

Resources:

“America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2008” is available online at http://www.childstats.gov/pubs/index.asp.

For additional information see the Forum's press release at http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/press_release.asp.

Printed copies may be ordered online at http://www.childstats.gov/pubs/order.asp.

PBS Teachers Connect is an online community of teachers exchanging ideas, resources and instructional strategies on the integration of digital media and technology.

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is conducting a review of state, district, and school policies related to the use of such technology as cell phone text messaging and picture taking, blogs, and instant messaging to perpetrate aggression against peers (making threats, spreading rumors, sending embarrassing photos, etc.)

CDC has requested that districts or schools that have such a policy provide it or the appropriate contact information to Marci Hertz at mhertz@cdc.gov or 770-488-2547 by August 1, 2008.

A Little HOPE -- Children’s Grief Support Grants

A Little HOPE is a not-for-profit public charity which grants funds to organizations that provide bereavement support services and grief counseling to children and teens who have experienced the loss of a parent or loved one, regardless of the circumstances of the death. Current programs funded by A Little HOPE provide school outreach, grief counseling, and a wide variety of support group services.

Award amounts vary. All organizations that provide bereavement support services and grief counseling to children and teens are eligible to apply.

Deadline: August 31, 2008(Letters of Inquiry)

Please Note: The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS) does not administer this funding opportunity.

Contact the National Foundation for Grieving Children, Teens and Families directly for complete program information and application guidelines:

http://www.alittlehope.org/show.aspx?page=3

Are you looking for creative ways to help your students improve their writing?

The answer may be close at hand at the Teen Writers Workshop, a series of free half-day seminars with professional poets, novelists, journalists, playwrights, and nonfiction book writers in Vero Beach.  Since its founding in July 2000 under the auspices of the Laura Riding Jackson Foundation, the program has conducted more than twenty workshops reaching more than 1000 Florida high school students.  Past support has included the National Endowment for the Arts and the State of Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs.

Through the Teen Writers Workshop, students have won college scholarships and earned top honors in state and national writing contests, including the Guideposts Young Writers Contest, the Parade poetry contest, and the Zora 2001 poetry contest.  Five students have published poetry chapbooks, which have been sold on consignment at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco and at Gotham Book Mart in New York City.  Other teen writers have been published regularly in local newspapers throughout the state.

The next workshop on Saturday, September 6, will feature Lisa Zahner, a former journalist who is Executive Director of Dollars for Scholars of Indian River County.  Her topic: “Writing Winning Essays for College and Scholarships.”  The workshop, which is open to students in grades 9 to 12, will be held from 1 to 4 P.M. at the Richardson Center on the Vero Beach campus of Indian River Community College. 

To register and learn more, please go to www.teenwritersworkshop.com

The National Schools of Character Awards program identifies exemplary schools and districts to serve as models for others and helps schools and districts improve their efforts in effective character education. Maximum Award: $2,000. Eligibility: To be eligible, a school must have been engaged in character education for a minimum of three full years, starting no later than December 2006 for the 2009 awards. Districts need to have been engaged in character education for a minimum of four full years, starting no later than December 2005. Smaller administrative units that maintain a separate identity within a large district may apply in the district category -- for example, a school pyramid or cluster. Deadline: Dec. 8, 2008.

http://www.character.org/site/?c=ipIJKTOEJsG&b=3937991

Best Buy is proud to support K-12 schools who have integrated interactive technology into the curriculum to engage students and make learning fun. As a company, Best Buy believes that when technology is used effectively it can inspire children and have a positive impact on their ability to learn.

The program recognizes creative uses of interactive technology in K-12 classrooms. Winning programs focus on kids using technology to learn standards-based curriculum, rather than on teaching students to use technology or educators using technology that children aren't able to use hands-on. The purpose of the Best Buy Teach Award program is to reward schools for the successful interactive programs they have launched using available technology. Please do not be discouraged from applying if your school does not have the most current equipment.

Applications must be completed and submitted online by 11:59 p.m. Eastern DST on October 12, 2008. Awards will be announced on March 2, 2009, at www.BestBuy.com/teach.

https://bestbuyteach.scholarshipamerica.org/

ASCA's School Counselor of the Year program honors the best of the best -- school counselors who are running a top-notch, comprehensive school counseling program at either the elementary, middle or high school level. This newly enhanced program brings 10 finalists and their nominators to Washington, D.C., in late January, where they participate in a congressional briefing, tour Washington, D.C., and are honored at the School Counselor of the Year Gala. From these 10 finalists, one school counselor of the year is selected. Online nominations for the 2009 award are being accepted now through Sept. 5, 2008.

http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content2.asp?contentid=544

Top Ten Publications from the US Department of Education

http://tinyurl.com/4opxu5

Jenny S., a 16-year-old senior in Durango, Colorado became editor of her church newsletter when the previous editor resigned. She also spends some of her free time at the local animal shelter. "Everybody has to do their part to make everything go well," she says.

Rebecca S., 18, of Austin, Texas, does most of her volunteering on gay and lesbian issues, most recently going on a seven-week, coast-to-coast bus tour to confront colleges that won't allow gays and lesbians to enroll. "Doing volunteer work really empowers young people and gives them a sense that they can make changes in the world."

Read more: http://www.parentingteensonline.com/article/show/title/Teens_Who_Give_Back

Before your prospective college student tackles a single application essay, you should hit the books. Your subject: FAFSA, short for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

You’ll have to fill one out to be eligible for any student aid, says Dennis Chavez, Director of Financial Aid Services at Binghamton University. You’ll also need to complete the FAFSA before applying for student loans, work-study programs, and fellowships.

Read more:

http://www.parentingteensonline.com/article/show/title/Demystifying_the_FAFSA

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education, has released a new report in the area of dropout prevention. Find out how the WWC rated Accelerated Middle Schools, self-contained academic programs designed to help middle school students who are one to two years behind grade level to catch up to their peers. These programs give students the opportunity to cover an additional year of curriculum during their one to two years in the program and can be structured as separate schools or as schools within a traditional middle school. Read the WWC report now at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/dropout/ams/.

For a complete listing of all dropout interventions the WWC has reviewed, go to http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/topic.aspx?tid=06

The United States Government Accountability Office's report, Young Adults with Serious Mental Illness, details the challenges young adults with mental illnesses face when attending school and transitioning between youth and adult care programs. When these individuals are unsuccessful, the result can be economic hardship, social isolation, and in some cases suicide, all of which can pose substantial costs to society.

The Youth Service America and Walt Disney Company are accepting applications for the Disney Minnie Grants program. The purpose of the program is to support youth (ages 5-14)-led service projects focused on the environment, disaster relief, public health and awareness, community education, hunger, literacy, or any issue that youth identify as a community need.

Award amounts are up to $500. Eligible applicants include teachers, older youth (15-25), youth-leaders, and youth-serving organizations that engage younger youth (5-14) in planning and implementation.

Deadline: August 30, 2007  

Contact the Youth Service America grant program directly for complete program information and program guidelines: http://ysa.org/AwardsGrants/DisneyMinnieGrant20072ndRound/
tabid/244/Default.aspx

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's, 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book, is now available online from the KIDS COUNT Data Center. The Data Book provides national and state-by-state information and statistical trends on the conditions of America's children and families. This year, the KIDS COUNT Data Book essay, "A Road Map for Juvenile Justice Reform," looks at the nearly 100,000 youth confined to juvenile facilities on any given night in the United States, and what can be done to reduce unnecessary and inappropriate detention and incarceration and increase opportunities for positive youth development and community safety.

The Corporation for National and Community Service’s Youth Development Grants support youth development through planning, collaboration, and alliance building for youth-serving organizations at the local and regional level, as well as direct programming to help children and youth succeed in school.

Approximately $3,500,000 is available for the first year of a three-year grant award. The competition is open to national nonprofit organizations that have on-going, demonstrable relationships with youth serving organizations or public school systems in at least two states in each of the five clusters of the country used by the Corporation for National and Community Service to organize its field operations. The clusters are Pacific, Atlantic, North Central, and Southwest. Please visit the website below for states in each cluster.

Deadline: July 29, 2008

Contact the Corporation for National and Community Service directly for complete program information and application guidelines:
http://www.nationalservice.gov/for_organizations/funding/nofa_detail.asp?tbl_nofa_id=60

The Ronald McDonald House Charities support initiatives that improve the health and wellbeing of children. Organizations seeking funding should have a specific program that directly improves the health and wellbeing of children, addresses a significant funding gap or critical opportunity, has long-term impact in terms of replication or reach, and produces measurable results.

Eligible organizations must have a current 501(c)3 tax-exempt status letter on file with the Internal Revenue Service. Award amounts vary.

Deadline: Rolling (Letter of Inquiry)

Contact the Ronald McDonald House Charities directly for complete program information and application guidelines:
http://www.rmhc.org/grants/

Write a 100-word essay discussing:

"How has technology educated you on helping the environment and how or why has it changed your behavior to be more environmentally friendly?"

for an opportunity to win over $200,000 worth of Samsung technology, Microsoft software and cash grants from DIRECTV, as well as the SCHOOL CHOICE® educational television programming package for the school of your choice.

http://pages.samsung.com/us/hopeforeducation/contest.html

Under the Big Top: Teaching Students to Trust Each Other and Work Together

A stint in the circus transforms students' confidence, interaction, and class performance. Running away not required.

by Jo Cavallo

Kourtney, a thirteen-year-old from Chanute, Kansas, was so afraid of heights, says her mother, Kandi, "she'd close her eyes when going on an overpass." But that was before the middle-schooler performed on the double trapeze. After that high-flying act, nothing ever seemed quite so scary to Kourtney.

No, she didn't run away to join the circus. Instead, the circus came to her -- and her classmates at Royster Middle School -- as part of a novel program to build self-confidence and encourage teamwork among adolescents.

"I had to stand on a platform, lean out, then jump off and grab my partner's hands," recalls Kourtney. "I was really scared, but I knew that if I didn't stay in the program, there wouldn't be anyone else to take over." Her perseverance paid off. After a week of rehearsals, Kourtney was flying through the air with grace and ease.

Kourtney's experience isn't unique, says Bruce Pfeffer, founder and director of Circus of the Kids, a Florida-based enterprise that teaches circus arts to children and teens. Each year, Pfeffer and his crew of performer-educators travel to schools throughout the country. In programs that run from one day to three weeks, they introduce students to the thrilling -- and often unnerving -- world of circus arts, teaching them everything from juggling and clowning to performing on the trapeze.

Read more:

http://www.edutopia.org/under-big-top

At