SUPERINTENDENT LUNA ANNOUNCES HOLIDAY CARD CONTEST

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna today called for elementary students across Idaho to participate in the annual Holiday Card Contest.

“The annual Holiday Card Contest is an opportunity for Idaho students to showcase their artwork and for the state to recognize the importance of arts in education,” Superintendent Luna said.

The contest is open to all public school students in grades K-6. One drawing will be selected to be published on the State Department of Education’s Web site at www.sde.idaho.govand used as the Department’s holiday greeting card. The child who submits the selected artwork will receive cards for his or her own use. The Department also awards grade-level winners.

Here are the guidelines for the 2013 Holiday Card Contest:

1. The contest is open to public school students in grades K-6.
2. Drawings should reflect holiday or winter scenes in Idaho appropriate for seasonal correspondence, and should not include copyrighted images such as Garfield the Cat, Bugs Bunny, Digimon characters, etc.
3. Drawings should be on 8.5” by 11” paper in a landscape format.
4. Drawings must be properly labeled. Write the name of the student, the student’s grade, district, school, and the teacher’s name on the back of the artwork. Please make sure this information is legible. (If you submit multiple grade levels, please keep the entries for each grade level separate.)
5. Students may use as many colors as they wish in their drawings and may use watercolors, colored paper, magic markers, crayons, or some combination. Students are encouraged to completely fill the page but keep the design simple. Too many details tend to get lost in the design. Bold colors work best for the printing process. Please note: Fabric designs and pencil drawings are not suitable to our printing process and will not be selected.
6. Students must be advised that entry into this contest constitutes (1) a waiver of all copyrights students have in their entries, and (2) permission to republish entries without compensation.
7. Drawings will not be returned.
8. The winning entries from each grade level will be published on the Idaho State Department of Education Web site at www.sde.idaho.gov.
9. Submissions must be postmarked by Friday, November 15, 2013. Results will be announced in December. Drawings may be mailed to:

State Department of Education

Attn: Portia Flynn
P.O. Box 83720

Boise, ID 83720-0027

If you have questions, please contact Portia Flynn at (208) 332-6812 or pflynn@sde.idaho.gov.

CENTURYLINK MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT PHILANTHROPY PROGRAM SEEKS PARTICIPANTS

CenturyLink and the Idaho Community Foundation (ICF) are seeking middle/junior high school classrooms and teachers to submit applications for participation in the 2013-2014 CenturyLink Middle School Philanthropy Program.

The Program’s purpose is to increase awareness among middle/junior high school students about the various needs within their communities and engage them in the work of the nonprofits working tirelessly to meet those needs. Up to $24,000 has been allocated to support the program’s second round, and up to eight classrooms will be selected to participate.

Selected classrooms will each be given up to $3,000 to spend as grants to support nonprofit organizations in the local community. Teachers will lead students in the process of researching local organizations, presenting their findings and collectively determining how to distribute the charitable funds. The project culminates with a check presentation to the selected charities in spring 2014.

"CenturyLink is dedicated to enhancing the communities we serve in a meaningful way," said Jim Schmit, vice president and general manager for CenturyLink in Idaho. "This program is a unique opportunity for students to connect with their community in a way that will raise awareness of needs and hopefully instill them with a lifelong interest in giving back."

Eligible participants include Idaho and southeastern Oregon middle/junior high school classes located within communities served by CenturyLink. This includes American Falls, Bancroft, Bellevue, Blackfoot, Bliss, Boise, Bruneau, Burley, Buhl, Caldwell, Castleford, Cottonwood, Craigmont, Culdesac, Declo, Downey, Dayton, Dietrich, Eagle, Eden, Emmett, Franklin, Firth, Gooding, Glenns Ferry, Grace, Grangeville, Grandview, Grasmere, Greenleaf, Hailey, Hagerman, Hammett, Hansen, Hazelton, Heyburn, Idaho City, Idaho Falls, Inkom, Jerome, Kamiah, Kimberly, Ketchum, Kooskia, Kuna, Lapwai, Lava Hot Springs, Lewisville, Leadore, Lewiston, Menan, McCammon, Middleton, Melba, Meridian, Murtaugh, Mountain Home, Montpelier, Murphy, Nampa, New Plymouth, Nez Perce, North Fork, Notus, Picabo, Payette, Placerville, Pocatello, Preston, Richfield, Riddle, Roberts, Rigby, Ririe, Riverside, Rexburg, Salmon, Soda Springs, Shelley, Shoshone, Star, Sugar City, Sun Valley, Thatcher, Twin Falls, Winchester, Weiser and Wendell, Idaho; and Ontario, Nyssa and Vale, Oregon.

Please visit the ICF website for application guidelines and to apply. Deadline for submission is November 30, 2013.

For more information, e-mail ltassos@idcomfdn.org or call (208) 342-3535 or (800) 657-5357.

The Idaho Community Foundation is a statewide public nonprofit organization whose goal is to have a permanent endowment of charitable dollars that will serve Idaho forever. ICF is a public nonprofit organization that manages more than charitable funds on behalf of organizations, families, individuals and businesses. Each named fund has a designated purpose and distributes grants or scholarships to support a charity or cause. A gift of any size to an ICF fund helps increase the size and number of grants and scholarships awarded　to local nonprofits and students.