Students Get Creative to Promote Literacy
DOE Press Office 850-245-0413
Students Get Creative to Promote Literacy
- Winners announced in Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! public service announcement contest -Tallahassee, Fla., January 17, 2013 - The Florida Department of Education is recognizing the winners of the 5th annual Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! statewide public service announcement (PSA) contest. Florida's First Lady Ann Scott made the announcement this morning at the Daytona International Speedway where she presented students from the winning schools with their awards and prizes. Chancellor of Public Schools Pam Stewart was also on hand to congratulate the winners. Representatives from The Florida Lottery, Learning A-Z, Scholastic, Novachi, National Geographic, and many education partners came together to sponsor the event. The PSA contest is part of a week-long celebration that highlights Florida's focus on literacy and reading.
"Opportunities to apply knowledge and skills are essential to the learning process," said Commissioner of Education Dr. Tony Bennett. "The Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! PSA contest is a strong program that allows students to utilize creativity, leadership skills, and technology to promote the essential life skill of literacy. I applaud the work of Florida's talented students and thank the many partners who make this program possible."
To compete in the PSA contest, students created a short video geared toward this year's theme: "Take the Lead and Read." Winners were chosen at voluntary prekindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school levels, with the winning schools awarded prizes sponsored by the Florida Education Foundation - $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place. The winning PSAs will be featured on the Just Read, Florida! website and the Department of Education's social media pages.
The winners of the 2013 Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! statewide PSA contest:
Voluntary Prekindergarten
- 1st Place: St. Paul's Catholic Preschool, Lake County
- Honorable Mention: Leonard Christian Child Development Center, Brevard County
- Honorable Mention: Wise/Maude Saunders Pre-K, Walton County
Elementary Schools
- 1st Place: North Grade Elementary, Palm Beach County
- 2nd Place: The Villages Charter School, Sumter County
- 3rd Place: Griffin Elementary, Broward County
Middle Schools
- 1st Place: Lake Gibson Middle School, Polk County
- 2nd Place: Fruit Cove Middle School, St. Johns County
- 3rd Place: Swift Creek Middle School, Leon County
High Schools
- 1st Place: West Broward High School, Broward County
- 2nd Place: Marchman Technical Education Center, Pasco County
- 3rd Place: Cypress Bay High School, Broward County
The goal of Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! is to promote literacy throughout the state by raising awareness of the programs and projects offered by the Department of Education and its partner agencies and organizations. For more information about other Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! events, visit Just Read, Florida!