Beech Tree News Network

Schools Receiving Most ‘People’s Choice’ Votes Will Win $8,000 Each---

Butler County Middle School has entered a $200,000 national education contest hoping for a chance at one of the 13 prizes that will be awarded to recognize the best in K-12 innovation. In addition to completing an online application for the fourth annual Follett Challenge, BCMS also submitted a short video to promote its innovative program that teaches students the 21st century skills they need to be prepared for life.

Ten of the prizes, valued at $8,000 each, to be given away are from the “People’s Choice” category and will solely be based on how many votes applicants have received for their videos from the public. Video voting begins January 19, 2015. The BCMS video is now posted on the Follett Challenge website (FollettChallenge.com) under the “View Entries” tab.

After registering, users can cast one vote per day through January 30, 2015, when voting ends.  Not only are the public’s votes significant in the video voting portion of the contest, but they also will play a role in the overall rubric as 20 percent of each school’s final score is based on the number of votes generated for their video.

“We hope our community will support us by viewing our video and voting for our submission,” said Latisha Cardwell, BCMS Media Librarian. “Participating in the Follett Challenge recognizes our educators for the great job they are doing with the limited resources they have and, should we win, reward them with resources to do more. It also will give our educators here a platform to share their innovation with other schools across the country and throughout the world.”

With a total prize value of $200,000 in products and services from Follett – a global education solutions leader – the overall winner will earn a $60,000 prize, plus a celebration at the school, while each of the other three semifinalists will earn $30,000 prizes. The 10 “People’s Choice” awards are worth $8,000 each in products and services and will be announced February 13, 2015, along with the semifinalists. This year’s Follett Challenge will honor semifinalist winners in three categories: elementary, middle and high school schools.

The judges will be seeking applications that illustrate critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration between students and among teachers and other members of the school staff. Last year’s grand-prize winner was Belleville West High School in Belleville, Ill. The 2015 grand-prize winner will be announced April 30, 2015.

For more on the Follett Challenge, visit FollettChallenge.com.

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About BCMS
Servicing the needs of the 21st Century Learner

About Follett’s K-12 Business
Follett School Solutions is the largest provider of educational materials and technology solutions to PreK-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers and school districts in the United States, and a major supplier to educational institutions worldwide.  Follett distributes books, reference materials, digital resources, eBooks and audiovisual materials, as well as pre-owned textbooks. Follett also is one of the leading providers of integrated educational technology for the management of physical and digital assets, the tracking, storing and analyzing of academic data, and digital learning environment tools for the classroom focusing on student achievement.  For more information about Follett visit www.follettlearning.com.

About Follett
Follett Corporation is a $2.7 billion, privately held company that provides products, services and solutions to the educational marketplace. Follett Corporation was founded in 1873, and today is headquartered in Westchester, Illinois.  For more information about Follett visit www.follett.com.