Envision and Discovery Education Announce Three Grand Prize Winning Schools of Nationwide ‘Champions for Change Contest’ — from Arkansas, California and Idaho — That Will Witness History at the 2017 Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit 

Dara Klatt, Discovery Education
(240) 662-3056, Dara_Klatt@discovery.com

—Ballico Elementary School (Ballico, CA), Ozark Junior High School (Ozark, AR), and Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind (Gooding, ID) EarnTop Online Public Vote—

–Contest is Part of the ‘Chase the Race in School’ Civics Education Program,  Now Offering New Resources on the Inauguration and First 100 Days–

WASHINGTON, DC (January 10, 2017) – Envision, a leading experiential education organization, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, announced today the three grand prize winning schools of the Champions for Change Contest:  

·         Ballico Elementary School (Ballico, CA)  of Ballico Cressey School District

·         Ozark Junior High School (Ozark, AR) of Ozark R-VI School District

·         Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind (Gooding, ID) of Gooding School District. 

With more than 35,000 contest entries, these schools received the highest number of public votes to attend Envision’s Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit held in Washington, D.C. from January 18th to 22nd, 2017.  The contest is part of the Chase the Race in School program that works to engage, captivate and energize the youth voice on the importance of democracy and civic engagement. The program  includes a series of classroom resources to lead students through the major presidential election milestones.

One educator and five students from each of the three winning schools will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit, including the 58th Presidential Inauguration on the National Mall.  During this time, they will be inspired by world-renowned speakers such as Gen. Colin Powell, Spike Lee, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai; participate in events that will solidify their path to becoming a future leader; work to create solutions to 21st century challenges as part of a Delegation for Change; and connect with fellow civic-minded, high-aspiring students. 

The Chase the Race online resources, videos, digital tools, and live experiences have been bringing the Election events to life through the perspective of the youth audience—from the primaries to Election Day, and from the Presidential Inauguration to the transition process.  Materials also include classroom activities that outline the history of the inauguration ceremony as well as the impact a new President has during the first 100 days of the Presidency. Additionally, through the broader Chase the Race program, twelve U.S. students had the opportunity to play an active role in the election process by serving as onsite reporters at a number of key political events.

“We want to congratulate the ‘Champions for Change’ winners,” said Envision’s CEO Duncan Young. “We are excited for the teachers and students from the winning schools to take part in the Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit, which is specifically designed to empower next-generation leaders to work together to form solutions for some of the nation’s most important issues.  Even though this election cycle has been divisive, we’re seeing students from all over the country- with different views and life experiences-  collaborating, working together, and listening to one another as they develop their skills as future leaders.”

“Discovery Education is happy to join Envision in congratulating the three winning schools and their delegates,” said Lori McFarling, senior vice president of Discovery Education.  “Our partnership has focused on helping today’s students learn the importance of civic engagement through digital content that brings the political process to life in a meaningful and engaging way.  We look forward to continuing to bring students everywhere the high-quality videos, digital tools, and live experiences that help us achieve this goal.”

For more information, visit www.ChasetheRaceinSchool.com.

About Envision
Envision helps students turn their career and life aspirations into reality.  The Envision family of programs (http://www.envisionexperience.com) enable students of all ages to explore their interests and gain learning experience beyond the classroom. Since 1985, Envision programs have served more than 800,000 students from more than 145 countries, with programs designed to connect high aspiring students with the leadership, scholarship, and career skills needed to success in today’s competitive college and career landscape; providing unique, real world experiences that enable students to discover their passion, try out a future career, and positively impact the world around them.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.