Follett Challenge Announces Judges for $200K Contest

Entry period for submission open now through Jan. 4

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Oct 11, 2012, 02:00 ET

MCHENRY, Ill., Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2012-13 Follett Challenge (www.FollettChallenge.com) which will be awarding $200,000 worth of Follett products and services to six K-12 schools who are expertly aligning their curriculum to teach 21st century learning skills, has announced the six judges who will be reviewing and ranking the contest entries. The entry period is open now through Jan. 4, 2013.

The judging panel includes Isabel Chipungu, who manages the Ocoee (Fla.) Elementary School's Media Center, which serves and teaches 850 children, ages 4 to 11. Chipungu's entry, "Creating a Culture of Literacy," captured the $35,000 grand prize in last year's inaugural Follett Challenge.

The five judges joining Chipungu on the panel are:

Michael Gorman, 1:1 coordinator at Southwest Allen County Schools in Fort Wayne, Ind. He consults for Discovery Ed, November Learning, PBS, and BIE.
Michelle Luhtala, library department chair of New Canaan (Ct.) High School, which won the AASL National School Library Program of the Year Award in 2010. The Carnegie Corporation of New York, in conjunction with The New York Times, recognized Luhtala as one of 10 recipients of the 2011 I Love My Librarian award.
Andrew Miller, who has taught both in the brick-and-mortar classroom and online. He currently serves on the National Faculty for the Buck Institute for Education and ASCD.
Paul R. Sanfrancesco, who is director of IT for the Garnet Valley School District (Glen Mills, Pa.). He was named as one of the "20 to Watch" Educators for 2008 by the National School Boards Association for his work in IT.
Susan Adelmann, who is vice president for strategic partnerships for Follett School and Library Group. She was recently named to the board of directors for Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

The 2012-13 Follett Challenge is seeking entries from educators throughout all departments in schools that are designing 21st century learning programs that develop critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration between students and among educators.

The Follett Challenge is open to all public and private K-12 schools in the United States and Canada. International schools that meet the criteria for participation are invited to apply as well. Applicants will be asked to submit a three- to five-minute video, as well as provide an overview of the program and how it has impacted student advancement with 21st century skills.

For more information on the Follett Challenge, visit www.follettchallenge.com. For more information on the contest's judges visit, www.follettchallenge.com/contest_info/judges.cfm.

About Follett School and Library Group | www.follett.com
Follett 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.

The Follett Challenge was founded in 2011 as a program to encourage educators to be their own best advocates and reward those who are excelling in their roles of preparing students for the skills they need for life.

Find Follett Challenge on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FollettChallenge

SOURCE Follett