Best and Brightest - Twenty midstate seniors are honored through The Patriot-News editorial department for excellence in scholastic, athletic, community service, career pursuits. Students receive a financial award from Seven Hills Inc.and are profiled in a special section each May. Complete guidelines and applications appear in The Patriot-News each February. Contact mbradley@patriot-news.com or csterner@patriot-news.com.

Cate Cottontale - Our funny bunny (she's a stuffed animal toy) with her tub of props visits elementary classrooms. Children role play in an engaging drama about the news gathering process that results in headlines, deadlines and lead paragraphs. Children learn who, what, when, where, why and how. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

Design an Ad - This real life experience allows fourth through 12th graders to create advertisements for area businesses that are published in The Patriot-News. Newspaper personnel can visit classrooms to teach about advertisements and how to design ads. Design an Ad curriculum is available. Contact csterner@patriot-news.com.

Farm Show - High school journalists, photojournalists and videographers are selected to attend and provide editorial coverage of the Pennsylvania Farm Show for The Patriot-News and Pennlive.com in January. Students apply with letters of interest or resumes with writing/pix samples in November and attend an orientation in December. Contact rgarman@pnco.com.

Fastcar Geography - For students, grades five through 10, this spring program teaches important concepts of geography through NASCAR and The Patriot-News. Contact jclippinger@patriot-news.com.

Papermaking - Art plays an important role in the development of the whole child. After using the newspaper for language arts, math, social studies and science, it can be recycled. Blenders, screens and newsprint are available as are NIE personnel to guide elementary aged children through this fun classroom activity. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

Pigskin Geography - For students, grades five through 10, this fall program teaches important concepts of geography through the National Football League and The Patriot-News. Educators attend an orientation and receive a binder of quizzes, educational activities and worksheets including a map courtesy of Central Penn AAA. Newspaper funding is available through vacation donation. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

Read Across America - Armed with temporary tattoos and topped with red and white striped stovepipe hats, Patriot-News employees are available to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss with area schools each March. Readaloud sessions, special NIE classroom activities and creation of a special Seuss school newspaper emphasize reading, reading, reading. Contact pmurphy@patriot-news.com.

Target Date - Want to hit home concepts related to the First Amendment? Students contact newspapers from around the world for complimentary newspapers on a specific date to study similarities and differences in content and format. Participating newspapers and curriculum are provided. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

SchoolHouse News - Newspapers are integrated in classroom study and available at home for fourth graders in Harrisburg School District. Young people partner with adults at home to complete activity sheets using the newspaper. For more information, contact csterner@patriot-news.com.

Xpressions - Students, grades six through 12, submit creative art, writing and photography. Selected pieces are published in a Patriot-News special section in May and/or in a Pennlive virtual gallery. Published students receive special awards at a reception at The Patriot-News production facility. Click here for participation guidelines. Contact jclippinger@patriot-news.com.

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E-Edition - Starting in Oct., 2008, schools can receive The Patriot-News/Sunday Patriot-News electronically as well as in print. An exact replica of the newspaper is viewed on classroom computers. Password protected, an e-edition is available in nine languages and soon in audio. For information, contact pmurphy@patriot-news.com.

NIE WEEKS - Educational activities, curriculum, special programming and student-created newspaper section are offered for classroom use on a theme or focus each March. Sponsored through the Keystone State Reading Association and Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Foundation as well as the International Reading Association and Newspaper Association of America Foundation, NIE WEEKS is an observance celebrating the value of classroom newspaper use. Schools can order newspapers in any combinations of quantity and days. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

Professional Development - Act 48 approved, workshops for literacy tutors wanting to help adult learners improve reading skills through newspaper use and in-service or faculty meeting presentations featuring hands on, standards based and relevant curricula are available year-round. NIEshops on special themes with curriculum materials are offered fall and spring after school at The Patriot-News production facility for educators and home school parents. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

Resources - Available to scholastic subscribers, printed materials are available for a variety of grade levels and subject areas. Sample titles include: What's News? Deadline, Byline, Online; Preparing for the PSSAs Using the Newspaper, Reading Anchors for Grades 3, 5, 8 and 11; Creating a Classroom Newspaper; Sports in the News and many more. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

Speaker's Bureau - Is your school hosting a Career Day? Are your students anxious to publish a classroom newspaper? Do you want your students to understand how a newspaper is produced but you can't book a field trip to tour the newspaper? Is your school or organization hosting a Literacy Fair? Would your service organization like to hear about the educational opportunities presented to area schools by The Patriot-News community service department? A variety of NIE presentations is available. Contact csterner@patriot-news.com.

TCH498-74 - A three-credit graduate level course on Newspaper in Education is available each June for educators through Shippensburg University. Informational text and learning focused schools are highlighted in this high energy, interactive class. Participants receive a three ring binder of practical, engaging activities and units of curriculum. Taught by university staff and educational peers from area schools, the course is conducted on campus and at The Patriot-News. For information, contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

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Letters to the Editor - Young people can write Letters to the Editor for possible publication in The Patriot-News or Sunday Patriot-News. Letters should be independent of classroom assignment and sent from home. Follow Letters to Editor guidelines as printed in the newspaper.

The Mini Page - Children have their very own newspaper each Thursday in The Patriot-News. Originally created by Betty Debnam and assisted by Alpha Betty, Rookie Cookie and Gus Goodsport, the tabloid-sized Mini Page presents an inviting new theme each week. Large type, easy-to-comprehend text and colorful art help emerging young and ELL readers. Participating educators receive weekly teacher guides that also identify standards. Newspaper funding is available through vacation donation. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

NIE Page - Each Tuesday of the school year, a school edition of The Patriot-News carries a special page of educational activities based on newspaper content and a story serialization. Appropriate for 4th, 5th and 6th grade classrooms, it can be used for some 3rd and 7th grade settings. Teacher's guides are available for each serialization, and educators receive a personal orientation to assist with NIE Page use. NIE Page subscriptions for fall and/or spring semesters are sponsored by corporations, businesses, organizations and individuals. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

PARADE Magazine - Middle and high school students can maximize their knowledge of current events, personal finance, science, health and technology in this popular publication appearing in the Sunday Patriot-News. Educators wanting PARADE magazine can receive copies with The Patriot-News for classrooms on Mondays and are encouraged to use weekly PARADE Classroom Teacher's Guides. Newspaper funding is available through vacation donation. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

Special Sections - The Patriot-News publishes an NIE Section in April and Xpressions in May, and each features students submissions. A section about baseball and using the newspaper for 4th through 7th graders is sponsored each April by the Harrisburg Senators. In addition to these annual publications, sections are published for special observances like Constitution Day or current topics of educational interest, i.e. spelling, anti-smoking, the Farm Show and more. Contact csterner@patriot-news.com.

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• Linda Rowe, chairperson, Mechanicsburg Area SHS
• Stephanie Andrejack, East Pennsboro Area HS
• Rhonda Brunner, West Perry SD
• Joyce Cal, Hampden ES, Cumberland Valley SD
• Dawn Durham, West Creek Hills ES, East Pennsboro SD
• Dr. Sandra Fehr, Duncannon
• Jennifer Heckert, Carroll ES,West Perry SD
• Dr. Peggy Hockersmith, Shippensburg University
• Lisa Hoover, Broad Street ES, Mechanicsburg Area SD
• Mary Lynn Hummel, Susquenita MS
• Mary Imboden, Harrisburg SD
• Joanna McIntyre, Highland ES, West Shore SD
• Linda Moffet, Dauphin County Library
• Carol Ogilvie, Hershey HS, Derry Township SD
• Jamie Richardson, Shippensburg Area MS
• Gretchen Robbins, Millersburg Area HS
• Cheryl Slattery, Shippensburg University
• Marilyn Stoner, Susquenita MS
• Linda Sunchych, Northern MS, Northern York County SD
• Deb Wire, Harrisburg SD
• Margee Ziegenfuss, East Pennsboro Area SD

Awards - The Patriot-Newspaper in Education program is the recipient of numerous awards including: The World Association of Newspapers Young Reader Award, 2007, Executive Women's International Harrisburg Branch Literacy Award, 2004. Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Foundation Newspaper of the Year Award for NIE: 1st place, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 1996, 1993; 2nd place, 1998, 1997. The Mini Page Award, 2001. Council for Public Education Community Service Award, 2000. Newspaper Association of America Program Excellence Award: 2nd place, 1999; 1st place, 1992. PARADE magazine/presstime Best in the Nation Award, 1998. Newspaper Association of America's Program Excellence Award of Highest Distinction, 1993. Pennsylvania Newspaper Publisher's Association Foundation Public Service Award, 1990. Public Relations Society of America, Central Pennsylvania Chapter Community Service Award, 1990.

Corporate Sponsors - Corporations, businesses, organizations and individuals contribute $648, $486, $324 or $162 a year or semester for The Patriot-News with the NIE Page to be used in area classrooms. 501(c)3 designation through the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Foundation is available. Sponsorship acknowledgment occurs on the NIE Page and with recognition ads in The Patriot-News and NIE Special Section. Students also write thank you notes to sponsors. Contact sleggore@patriot-news.com or rkeim@patriot-news.com.

Sponsors for 2008 - 2009 include:

• By Design Consultants Inc.
• The Camera Box
• Executive Women International Harrisburg Chapter
• Giuseppe Brothers Pizza
• Edwin L. Heim Co.
• Envirodyne Systems Inc.
• Karns Quality Foods
• Kiwanis Club of Middletown
• L.B. Smith Educational Foundation
• Novinger Group, Inc
• Penn State College of Medicine
• Rosewein Realty
• Rowe Screen Print, Inc.
• Wilson Gregory Agency Inc.

Lending Library - Printed materials describing use of the newspaper as an instructional tool are available without charge to educators and home school parents. Located at our main office in Harrisburg, the library can be visited by appointment. Contact rkeim@patriot-news.com.

Mission Statement - The Patriot-Newspaper in Education program mission is to model the importance of the newspaper for participants in a democratic society; to affirm the importance of the newspaper as a tool for learning for children and parents; to advocate for the integration of the newspaper into all curricular areas through the school year; to convey the contemporary nature of the newspaper as especially useful in developing relevant activities that take students beyond the parameter of a textbook; to respond to the needs of the educational community in central Pennsylvania as newspaper use in the classroom continues to grow.

NIEnow - Current and continuing projects and programs from the award-winning Patriot-News in Education program are detailed online for educators, families and students.

Signature Page - Individuals, corporations and organizations contribute SchoolHouse News and NIE newspaper funding for students through the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Foundation for 501(c)3 designation. Contributors provide signatures published on an annual acknowledgement in The Patriot-News in support of literacy and good citizenship. Click here for Signature Page. Contact jclippinger@pnco.com.

Subscriptions - Classroom subscriptions to The Patriot-News and Sunday Patriot-News are available at reduced rates. While the circulation area for e-edition school newspapers is without boundary, the printed newspaper is available to schools in Cumberland, Dauphin, northern York, Perry and western Lebanon counties. In Oct., 2008, a new order minimum is ten. Schools unable to fund classroom newspapers may request vacation donation funding. Contact rgarman@pnco.com.

Tours - School, Scout and community groups are welcome to visit our main office in Harrisburg and/or production facility in Hampden Twp. to understand how information is gathered and distributed to keep readers in the know. Advertising, business, circulation, editorial, marketing and technology departments are located in Harrisburg. The newspaper is printed at and distributed from the production facility. Walking tours lasting about an hour are available for grades four and up. Tours should not exceed 25 individuals with one adult per ten students. Please click here for more information.

Vacation Donation - Subscribers on vacation, business trips or away from home for any reason can donate financial credit from their newspaper subscription accounts to NIE and help schools fund newspapers. Whether away a few days or a few weeks, contributions help students learn how to read and learn about the world and their community.

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