Mississippi School’s hot air balloon festival lifts them to the top
Atlanta, GA, 09 June 2011 — Promethean and National PTA today announce Tupelo Christian Preparatory School in Belden, Mississippi, as the winner of the 2011 Great School Fundraiser Contest. Edging out six other finalists, Tupelo Christian Preparatory School’s, “Up, Up & Away Hot Air Balloon Festival,” was awarded the top prize for being the most successful and creative fundraising activity by a local PTA. The school will be presented with the top prize – a Promethean ActivBoard System.
The 2011 Great School Fundraiser Contest generated a number of inspiring successful fundraising submissions from communities who had to find creative and effective ways to raise funds to overcome recent budget shortfalls. Each entry was reviewed to determine how the result from the fundraising activity was used to support school and learning-related activities.
The Tupelo Christina Preparatory School’s PTA teamed up with two local community groups to host the Hot Air Balloon Festival, which included balloon rides, games, live music, food, art vendors, educational exhibits from NASA and the historic Natchez Trace Parkway. Funds raised from the overall festival were used to support the school’s technology program. Students also jumped in to help. They ran a miniature hot air balloon contest to raise money for a local pregnancy clinic.
“Our school community has always been so supportive, but this year, the outpouring from the Tupelo community was tremendous. The success of our fundraiser surpassed our expectations,” said David Culpepper, Headmaster, Tupelo Christian Preparatory School. “The prize from the Great School Fundraiser Contest will help us fulfill our mission – Christ first, academic second to none – and ensures that our students are learning in a classroom with 21st century tools.”
Red Mill Elementary, Virginia Beach, Virginia, took second place and received a set of ActivExpression student response devices for the success of their, “Santa’s Workshop,” which included a Giving-Tree, pictures and breakfast with Santa, basket raffles and winter-themed activities. Third place went to Union Christian Academy, Fort Smith, Arkansas, for their “Work-a-Thon” that combined community service with fundraising. Students obtained sponsors for their “sweat equity” and teams of community volunteers spent the day beautifying different areas of the community.
“Today’s economic times are challenging us all to become more resourceful and this showed in the contest submissions. When it comes to supporting schools, no one does more than parents and community members. We applaud everyone who participated in our contest this year,” said Jim Marshall, President of Promethean North America.
Parents have always played an instrumental role in creating strong schools. By sharing best practices and successful fundraising ideas through the Great School Fundraiser Contest, Promethean and National PTA aim to support PTA’s around the country that are in need of successful fundraising ideas. Details about Promethean’s partnership with National PTA can be found online at www.prometheanworld.com/PTA.
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About Promethean
Promethean – Lighting the flame of learning
Promethean is a global education company committed to supporting teaching and learning. Our focus is on student-centered and collaborative learning. We do this through our integrated technology, training, content and assessment solutions that help teachers meet individual student needs. Our products are used in more than 750,000 classrooms around the world, and PrometheanPlanet.com, the world’s largest interactive whiteboard community site, provides its almost one million members access to around 28,000 free teaching resources. With corporate headquarters in the U.K. and U.S., Promethean has products distributed through a network of partners in some 100 countries and is listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange as Promethean World Plc (ticker symbol ‘PRW’). www.PrometheanWorld.com
About National PTA
National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth.
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