Education
- Created on 24 January 2013
Home Depot's HBCU 'Retool Your School' Contest Announced
The Home Depot announces the kick-off of its fourth annual Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program.
The 2013 Retool Your School Grants will total $195,000 to be awarded as one $50,000 Tier I Grant, one $25,000 Campus Pride Grant for the school that receives the most votes and social media activity, and twelve $10,000 Tier II Grants.
Schools are required to submit a brief description of their projects by Feb. 11, 2013 for consideration, with full proposal details due by March 11, 2013. Online voting will take place from Feb. 18 to April 15at www.retoolyourschool.com.
The goal is to provide sustainable and lasting renovations to give new life to the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Each year, the outpour of support for the program from alumni, students, parents and the community grows. Since the program's inception in 2010, more than three million votes have been cast as the HBCU community bands together for their favorite and most deserving HBCU school projects.
"The Home Depot is thrilled to once again offer the Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant available to HBCU's," said Melissa Brown, manager of multicultural marketing, The Home Depot. "Now in its fourth year, we've seen incredible growth of support and popularity of the program. It is such a rewarding program connecting with our communities and it takes school spirit to a whole new level."
The Home Depot's goal is to connect with the community by awarding grants for projects that will have a lasting impact. Last year, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania received the Tier I Grant of $50,000, to restore the exterior and entryway of Lincoln Hall, one of the most historic buildings of the University.
The first-ever Campus Pride Grant of $25,000 was awarded to Alabama A&M University. In 2011, grand prize winner Bethune Cookman University, located in Daytona Beach, Fla., received $50,000 to install automated access doors and a wheelchair ramp in its Student Center to accommodate students, faculty and staff members with disabilities.
Past Retool Your School proposals and projects have included recommendations for eco-friendly and sustainability upgrades.
The Retool Your School program is a unique competition that extends to alumni, family and friends, students and the community-at-large to vote for their favorite HBCU project.
For more information on The Home Depot Retool Your School Grant Program, visit www.retoolyourschool.com.
Online voting will begin Feb. 18, 2013.
- Created on 23 January 2013
High School Graduation Rates Higest Since 1976
The nation’s high school graduation rate is the highest since 1976, but more than a fifth of students are still failing to get their diploma in four years, the Education Department said in a study released Tuesday.
Officials said the steady rise of students completing their education is a reflection of the struggling economy and a
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- Created on 19 January 2013
Dr. Cornel West Featured at Kennesaw State for MLK Holiday
Kennesaw State University will celebrate the 2013 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with a day devoted to volunteer service on Saturday, Jan. 19, and a Sunday, Jan.20, forum featuring author Cornel West.
Kennesaw State's annual observance of the M.L. King Jr. holiday, titled "Celebrating a Dream Come True," will feature a "Day of
Impact" in which Kennesaw State University and the Cobb County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) have partnered to conduct volunteer service projects to benefit Kennesaw Mountain Park and other local non-profit
organizations. The annual observance is presented by the African-American Student Alliance and the Office of Multicultural Student Retention Services at Kennesaw State.
Cornel West, featured speaker at the Sunday M.L. King Jr. forum, is the author of 19 books, most notably his classics, Race Matters and Democracy Matters. His recent books include a memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, and a social commentary, The Rich and the Rest of Us, which he co-authored with broadcaster Tavis Smiley.
West, who graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy at Princeton, is the Class of 1943
University Professor at Princeton University. He appears frequently on the "Bill Maher Show," "Colbert Report," CNN and C-Span, as well as on the Tavis Smiley TV show on PBS.
The volunteer projects will begin at 9 a.m., Saturday, Jan.19, at various Cobb County locations. For information, contact Brent
Obleton at 678-797-2575 or via e-mail at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.
West will speak Sunday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. at the Dr. Bobbie Bailey & Family Performance Center on the Kennesaw State University
campus, 1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw, GA, 30144.
The public is invited. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
- Created on 21 January 2013
Voyage to Discovery Essay Contest Announced
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF), in collaboration with NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), invites 7th to 12th grade students to submit an original essay about African-American contributions to the country's maritime heritage.
"NMSF is proud to launch this initiative, which seeks to expand students' understanding of how our nation's rich history is tied to the ocean and celebrated through our national marine sanctuaries," said Jason Patlis, president and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Entries to the Voyage to Discovery Essay Contest will be accepted through April 15. Teachers and parents are asked to encourage student participation.
Two winners – one high school student and one middle school student – will be selected. The high school student winner will receive a $1,500 prize for post-secondary education. The middle school student winner will receivea $500 prize for continuing education.
"The Voyage to Discovery Essay Contest is part of a broad NOAA initiative to build public awareness about the legacy of African-American maritime heritage," said Daniel J. Basta, director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. "This contest offers all students an opportunity to enhance their writing and analytical skills while they learn about the continuing, historic contributions of African Americans in
the security, stability and prosperity of our nation."
Entries will be judged on originality, clarity, and content. More information on the contest, including how to enter and a complete set of rules, can be found at http://voyagetodiscoveryessaycontest.org.
- Created on 11 January 2013
Gov. Deal Looks to Increase HOPE Scholarship, Some Say Not Enough
At the start of the 2013 legislative session Monday, Gov. Nathan Deal says he plans to push an increase in funding for the HOPE scholarship program.
In 2011, Gov. Deal signed a bill that reduced the HOPE from full coverage to 90 percent of tuition rates for high school students who had a 3.0 GPA. The bill also eliminated money for books and fees.
Officials said the reduction in funding for HOPE scholars due to declining lottery sales, which has decreased by more than $71 million in the past two years.
According to the governor's office, the Georgia Lottery Corporation transferred more than $901 million to the State Treasury's Lottery for Education Account during the 2012 fiscal year. THAT was an increase of more than $55 million from the 2011 figure. So far, for the first quarter of the 2013 fiscal year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has transferred more than $221 million, up 8 percent from 2012.
Some see the increases as still falling short of what's necessary. In a press release directed to the governor, Bryan Long, the executive director of Better Georgia, a statewide advocacy group, said that Deal's plan fails to keep up with increases in Georgia college's tuition costs.
"More than 10,700 Georgia residents have signed a petition asking Gov. Deal to save the HOPE Scholarship but his new budget falls far short of this goal," said Long. "Gov. Deal has proposed a 3 percent increase in the HOPE Scholarship as college tuition rises 6 percent at Georgia Tech, 5 percent at UGA and 3.5 percent at Georgia State. Students attending Georgia's technical colleges are paying 13 percent more in tuition. Gov. Deal broke the HOPE Scholarship. His current budget does nothing to fix it."
In 2012, Deal announced his Complete College Georgia initiative aimed at graduating an additional 250,000 college students by 2020. Gov. Deal says the HOPE scholarship is necessary to reach that goal.
"The jobs of the future in Georgia will require some degree of higher education, and HOPE plays a huge role in assuring access for many Georgia families," Gov. Deal said. "Equally important for the state, it's a lure that keeps our best and brightest in Georgia because if they go to college in Georgia, they are likely to work and pay taxes here when they graduate."
The Georgia legislative session will start Monday and run for 40 legislative days.
