Following are application deadlines for awards, honors, and contests available to teachers. Asterisks (*) denote new entries.
Open PHOTOGRAPHY Starlight Cameras, makers of Merlin Pinhole Cameras and darkroom kits, gives a complimentary camera to a school every week. To request a camera, darkroom kit, and instruction book, teachers e-mail short descriptions of their schools’ photography programs; the school’s address should be included. For more information, contact: Jim Kosinski, Starlight Cameras, P.O. Box 540, Cherry Valley, NY 13320; (607) 264-3480; e-mail merlin@paintcancamera.com; www.paintcancamera.com.
May 15 HISTORY The History Channel presents the Award for Outstanding Contribution in History Education to a teacher, media specialist, district or state History Day coordinator, judge, or volunteer who has demonstrated exceptional service to and participation in the National History Day program. One winner receives $3,000, a history video library, and a television and VCR for classroom use. Criteria include success in involving students in the program, interest in professional development, and service to both the National History Day program and the field of history. For more information, contact: History Channel Award, National History Day, 0119 Cecil Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; (301) 314-9739; www. nationalhistoryday.org.
May 17 AEROSPACE The Christa McAuliffe Memorial Award, offered by the Aerospace Education Foundation, honors one public, private, or parochial K-12 teacher who furthers the concepts of aerospace technology through innovative classroom programs. The award includes a $1,000 stipend and a trip to Washington, D.C., where the winner is recognized at the Air Force Association National Convention. Each applicant must have a letter of endorsement by an AFA sponsor and a letter of support from an administrator. Contact: Aerospace Education Foundation, 1501 Lee Hwy., Arlington, VA 22209; (800) 291-8480; fax (703) 247-5853; e-mail AEFstaff@aef.org; www. aef.org/awards/christa.html.
May 24 FOREIGN LANGUAGES The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages asks national, state, and regional members to nominate educators for its Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in Foreign Language Education. Nominees must be K-12 foreign language teachers or administrators with a minimum of five years’ teaching experience. They also must be members of the council with at least three years’ standing and spend at least half of each school year teaching a foreign language. The winner receives a $500 cash award and a plaque. Contact: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 6 Executive Plaza, Yonkers, NY 10701-6801; (914) 963-8830, ext. 227; www.actfl.org.
June 1 FIRE SAFETY The National Fire Protection Association and the family of Rhea Reiss, a longtime advocate of fire safety education, seek nominations for the sixth annual NFPA Teacher of the Year Award. Full- or part-time classroom teachers or day-care providers in public, private, or parochial school systems that have used the NFPA’s “Risk Watch” or “Learn Not to Burn” educational materials are eligible. One grand-prize winner and the individual who nominates him or her receive education materials and an expenses-paid trip to the NFPA’s fall conference in Atlanta. For more information, contact: Amy Shadrick, NFPA, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269; (617) 984-7285; e-mail ashadrick@nfpa.org; www.riskwatch.org.
June 1 SOCIAL STUDIES The National Council for the Social Studies sponsors the Exemplary Research in Social Studies Award to acknowledge and encourage scholarly inquiry into significant issues and possibilities for social studies education. Eligible research must have been published between June 2001 and May 2002, focus on social education, advance the teaching and learning of social studies, and satisfy a number of other criteria. The award includes a commemorative gift, annual conference presentation session, and publicity. For more information, contact: NCSS, 8555 16th St., Suite 500, Silver Spring, MD 20910; (301) 588- 1800, ext. 106; e-mail information@ncss.org; www. ncss.org/awards.
June 29 OUTSTANDING TEACHERS USA Today seeks nominations for the All-USA Teacher Team. The 20 teachers chosen for the First Team are featured in the newspaper and receive trophies; their schools get $2,500. Second and Third Team teachers also are named. All nominees must have been certified K-12 teachers in the 2001-02 school year, have four years of full-time teaching experience, and meet other criteria. Self- nominations are not accepted. Contact: Carol Skalski, USA Today, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22108-9995; (800) 872-2216 or (703) 854-5890; e-mail allstars@usatoday.com; www.allstars.usatoday.com.
*June 30 TEACHER OF THE YEAR Chadwick’s of Boston, an off-price fashion catalog, seeks nominations of K-12 teachers of any subject for its sixth annual National Teacher of the Year Award. Nominators submit essays of 250 words or less outlining how their candidates contribute to the community, school, or students. Ten regional winners each receive a $300 Chadwick’s of Boston gift certificate; their schools each get a $500 cash donation. One national winner earns an additional $1,000 and is featured in a Chadwick’s of Boston catalog; his or her school gets an additional $1,000 award. For more information, contact: Erika Martineau, Chadwick’s of Boston, Teacher of the Year Award, 946 Great Plain Ave., P.O. Box 151, Needham, MA 02492; e-mail cobteacher@aol.com; www.chadwicks.com.
*July 1 JOURNALISM The Dow Jones Newspaper Fund seeks applicants for its National High School Journalism Teacher Awards. The program selects the National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year, who acts as a spokesperson for scholastic journalism, four Distinguished Advisers, and several Special Recognition Advisers. Candidates must have at least three years of experience teaching or advising high school journalists; they also must have taught or advised during the 2001-02 academic year and plan to continue teaching or advising in 2002-03. The Teacher of the Year receives a laptop computer, and a senior student at the winner’s school is eligible for a $1,000 college scholarship. Contact: Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, P.O. Box 300, Princeton, NJ 08543-0300; (609) 452-2820; fax (609) 520-5804; e-mail newsfund@wsj.dowjones.com; djnewspaperfund.dowjones.com.
*July 1 TEACHER EDUCATION The Association of Teacher Educators seeks applicants for two prizes. The 13th annual Distinguished Dissertation in Teacher Education Award honors the author of an outstanding doctoral dissertation related to teacher education. The winner receives a monetary award, which is supported by a grant from the ATE Leadership Foundation for Teacher Education, a plaque, and national recognition. Candidates must have completed their dissertations within the past two years at an accredited college or university. The Distinguished Research in Teacher Education Awards recognize and encourage outstanding studies of teacher education and/or student learning. Individuals involved in teacher education may submit papers published or accepted for publication within the past two years or papers of comparable quality. Judging criteria include investigative rationale and adequacy of research. Two winners each receive a plaque and recognition at the ATE’s national conference. For more information, contact: David Byrd, School of Education, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881; (401) 874-8454; dbyrd@uri.edu; www.ate1.org.
*July 31 ECONOMICS The NASDAQ Educational Foundation and the National Council on Economic Education announce the National Teaching Awards for high school teachers who incorporate economic education into any subject area. Regional and national awards are presented to the most creative, original, and effective efforts to apply economic content and reasoning skills to financial markets, personal finance, entrepreneurship, the market economy, the capital formation process, or the investment process. Any 9th through 12th grade teacher in the United States may apply. Five regional winners receive $10,000 each and the opportunity to compete for both an additional $15,000 and the title of Grand National Winner; 20 regional semifinalists are awarded $1,000 each. Entry forms are available online. For more information, contact: Claire Melican, Vice President for Program Administration, National Council on Economic Education, 1140 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036; (800) 338-1192; e-mail cmelican@ ncee.net; www.ncee.net/nasdaq.
*August 1 BIOLOGY Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, a nonprofit curriculum developer, seeks applications for its 2002 Teacher of the Year Awards. One teacher with more than five years’ experience and one teacher with five or fewer years’ experience each receive a $1,000 cash award, $500 in travel expenses to the National Association of Biology Teachers convention in Cincinnati, and $1,000 to upgrade their schools’ biology labs. Applicants must use one of BSCS’s three full-year high school programs and teach in a manner that embodies the BSCS approach to inquiry, conceptual learning, and emphasis on the nature of science. For more information, contact: Aleigh Raffelson, 5415 Mark Dabling Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80918; (719) 531-5167, ext. 135; e-mail araffelson@ bscs.org; www.bscs.org.
—Rose Gordon
