_{Awards Honor Students Who Overcame Challenges to Build Reading and Math Skills and Dedicated Teachers Chosen for Excellence}   

GREENVILLE, Wis. – June 18, 2012 – EPS/School Specialty’s Literacy and Intervention division today announced the winners of its 2012 Academy Star Awards, honoring students who have overcome significant challenges to build proficiency in reading and math, as well as teachers who go above and beyond on a daily basis to provide their students with every opportunity to succeed. Five students were recognized as Academy Star Students of the Year, and three teachers earned Academy Teachers of Excellence honors.

Three educators will each receive $2,000 in portable interactive technology for their classrooms as winners of a nationwide teacher grant from Learning Resources. The grant program, which was hosted by the online community WeAreTeachers, is designed to provide teachers the opportunity to win technology for their classrooms and share creative lesson ideas with educators nationwide. Additionally, two merit-based winners were selected by a panel of teachers to receive a technology prize package worth $700.

For many years, educational media devices utilized dual jacks for headsets that enabled high-quality sound for listening and for recording. However, the latest smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, such as the iPhone and iPad, use only one 3.5 mm plug and a built-in mic, which limits sound quality. Additionally, most consumer-oriented headsets are not made to withstand rigorous use in the classroom and media labs, or provide hearing protection and safety features for children, or offer a warranty that covers school use. To meet educators' needs, Califone has extended the capabilities of its most popular headsets designed for education - including the washable Titanium series of headsets - to be compatible with today's mobile devices through the To Go plug option. According to a recent online poll, 68 percent of respondents reported that students listen to and/or record audio most of the time in 1:1 and group learning activities. Califone also offers jackboxes to help turn one iPad into a group learning experience in which each student can use a headset or headphone. 

Program will be offered to public and private schools to help ensure the safety of field trip participants

 Instant Parent Contact, one of the leading parent notification services used among public and private schools in the United States, announced today that it has been named the exclusive national sales agent for Field Trip Safeguard®. As part of this affiliation, SchoolReach will develop local, regional and national marketing initiatives though its extensive distribution channels to help promote the Field Trip Safeguard program to public and private K-12 institutions throughout the U.S. 

More than 1,144 total schools and nonprofits nationwide contended for the Top Recycler title in FundingFactory’s “Recycling Rumble” competition from March 13 to May 31.  The winning schools and nonprofits earned a 25 percent fundraising bonus, while the top recycler, Panhandle Humane Society of Scottsbluff, Neb. won a new Apple^® iPad^®. Throughout the competition, participants collected and shipped used inkjet and toner cartridges, cell phones, MP3 players, digital cameras and GPS devices to FundingFactory, earning one point for each qualifying item redeemable for cash or new technology.