I was sent the following press release (yes, I get press releases just like I’m some kind of newspaper 🙂 and wanted to make sure I posted it before I forgot (which is what usually happens with these press releases). I hope that those with teenagers will take the time to check it out. I’m making Sarah do it Hey, $40,000 is well worth the effort!

SANTA MONICA, CA – SEPT. 27, 2006 – In an effort to emphasize the importance of language arts skills and encourage high school students to better prepare for their futures, GSN, the leading interactive television game network, today announced the first-ever National Vocabulary Championship (NVC). The announcement was made today by Dena Kaplan, Senior Vice President of Marketing, GSN, who conceptualized the cause program and public service campaign, and will oversee the championship and televised finale.
The NVC joins a legacy of legendary education-related competitions – from “?It’s Academic” and “Quiz Bowl”? to the National Spelling and Geography Bees. Produced by the entertainment network known for original and classic game shows and its educational partner The Princeton Review, the NVC will set the standard for promoting academics in a fun, playful way.
The NVC will contemporize the model set by the traditional competitions by providing students with “real world” tools necessary to comprehend word meanings and help them build an enhanced vocabulary that will assist them in their next stages of life, whether that be college or professional careers.
“Students, teachers, parents, guardians and educators will each play an integral role in the success of this initiative. We created the NVC in the hopes that it will become a cultural phenomenon and get people from all over the country excited about the power of a good vocabulary, and understand that a great vocabulary is the key to their opportunities in life,” said Kaplan.
Eligible high school students in the 50 states and the District of Columbia are invited to enter the first round in one of two ways -? by taking an online national qualifying exam or if the student attends a participating school, by taking an in-school qualifying exam to compete for an opportunity to advance to one of eight live citywide competitions. Forty-two top scorers from the national qualifying competition and eight winners from the citywide competitions will receive a trip to New York City to participate in the nationally televised National Vocabulary Championship finale in February 2007. The ultimate winner will receive $40,000 deposited in a higher education ?”529″? savings plan. In total, GSN will award over $100,000 to top-performing students and their schools this year through the program.
“GSN is committed to helping high school educators across the country raise awareness of the importance of language arts in the classroom and is investing in America’s future by providing money for college to winning students as well as making learning words fun and relevant in the game of life,” added Kaplan.
According to the National Center for Educational Progress, since the early 1990s, national reading scores for 17-year-olds have dropped steadily and consistently across all demographics, with a sharp decline occurring from 1999-2004. Furthermore, the National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools, and Colleges reports that more than 50 percent of college freshman cannot write papers without language errors, analyze arguments, or synthesize information.
“The NEA is proud to support GSN and the NVC in its quest to help all children improve their vocabulary skills,” said National Education Association President Reg Weaver. “NEA members on the front lines truly understand the benefits of engaging students in an imaginative, fun way.”
The Princeton Review, a leading provider of college preparation and educational services, will provide study materials for students, including sample tests, words of the day, NVC-related podcasts of study words and other preparation materials. These materials are available free online at www.winwithwords.com.
“Having taught vocabulary to millions of students through our courses, tutoring, books and podcasts, we’re excited to be part of the NVC,” said John Katzman, CEO of The Princeton Review, “?Normally, I eschew sesquipedalian verbiage, but we’ll make an exception.”?
“Everyone is a winner with this program. Students will learn new word meanings, teachers will be pleased that students are studying, and parents benefit by having their children receive free study materials from The Princeton Review,”? emphasized Kaplan.
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Students who wish to participate in the national qualifying competition can register for the NVC online at www.winwithwords.com and choose from one of ten different times from October 27th through November 5th to take the qualifying exam. Students who attend participating schools in Boston, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, St. Louis and Palm Beach County will have the opportunity to work with in-school “?Vocabulary Coaches”? in preparation for an in-school qualifying exam, from which approximately 100 students per city will advance to the live competition to be held in those cities.
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For Official Rules and more information about the National Vocabulary Championship and the ?”Win With Words”? Campaign, visit www.winwithwords.com .
Online National Qualifying Exam Dates
The dates and times that students can take the online national qualifying exams are as follows:
Friday, October 27th -? 10:00 pm EST/7:00 pm PST
Saturday, October 28th – 12:00 pm EST/9:00 am PST
Sunday, October 29th – 10:00 pm EST/7:00 pm PST
Monday, October 30th – 11:00 pm EST/8:00 pm PST
Tuesday, October 31st -? 11:30 pm EST/8:30 pm PST
Wednesday, November 1st – 7:00 pm EST/4:00 pm PST
Thursday, November 2nd – ? 8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST
Friday, November 3rd – 10:00 pm EST/7:00 pm PST
Saturday, November 4th -? 5:00 pm EST/ 2:00 pm PST
Sunday, November 5th – 9:00 pm EST/6:00 pm PST
Citywide Competition Dates
Dates for the citywide competitions are as follows (locations to be announced):
Pittsburgh – Monday, October 30
St. Louis – Thursday, November 2
Boston -? Monday, November 13
Philadelphia – Thursday, November 16
Detroit – Monday, November 20
Palm Beach – Monday, November 29
Sacramento -? Tuesday, December 5
New York – Thursday, December 13