Eighteen Schools Named Finalists For Intel Schools Of Distinction Awards

"These 18 schools share a common passion, commitment and drive to improve students' educational experience and learning, serving as role models for schools across the nation," said Brenda Musilli, Intel Corporation director of education. "Each school has achieved academic excellence in mathematics and science by embracing such 21st century learning skills as digital literacy, critical thinking and problem solving, as well as teamwork and community involvement."

The 18 finalists were chosen from public and private, as well as urban and suburban, schools that participated in the application and judging process. The finalists, representing a wide range of successful programs, in each category are:

Mathematics Excellence – The finalist schools offer their students a rigorous, challenging and engaging program that teaches mathematics skills and how to apply them to solve real-life problems, approach projects as a member of a team, and communicate succinctly on the subject. The schools' mathematics curriculum includes a variety of 21st century instructional strategies that incorporate critical thinking skills and hands-on experiences to ensure high levels of achievement for all students.

Elementary Balboa Elementary Forest Park Elementary Washington Elementary	San Diego Fremont, Calif. Santa Clara, Calif.
Middle School KIPP: Adelante Preparatory Academy Sewell Middle School	San Diego Bremen, Ga.
High School Bergen Academies - Hackensack Eastlake High School Miami Lakes Educational Center Thomas Jefferson High School	Hackensack, N.J. Sammamish, Wash. Miami Lakes, Fla. Alexandria, Va.

Science Excellence – The finalist schools provide a rich science curriculum incorporating hands-on investigative experiences that prepare students for 21st century jobs. Programs encourage student achievement in sciences and engineering, while simultaneously helping students to become knowledgeable consumers of news and data in order to be active and informed citizens. Programs are designed to meet the needs of all students, incorporating a variety of instructional strategies, and meeting rigorous education industry standards and assessment benchmarks.

Elementary Escalante School Lackland Elementary School Woodland Elementary School	Salt Lake City San Antonio Atlanta
Middle School Alternative School - Math & Science Belhaven Middle School Conyers Middle School	Corning, N.Y. Linwood, N.J. Conyers, Ga.
High School Greenhills School Gresham High School San Mateo High School	Ann Arbor, Mich. Gresham, Ore. San Mateo, Calif.

Three winners – one elementary, one middle school and one high school - will be selected in each of the two categories. To honor their extraordinary commitment to educational excellence and innovation, each winning school will receive a $10,000 cash grant from the Intel Foundation and an award package including curriculum materials, professional development resources, hardware and software valued at more than $160,000 per school. Award sponsors include Agilix*, BlackBoard*, Dell*, DyKnow*, eInstruction*, FutureKids*, LearnStar*, Panasonic*, Pitsco*, Riverdeep*, Scantron*, Schoolnet* and Smart Technologies*.

Representatives from the winning schools will attend an awards gala in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 4 at which one school from this year's honorees will be named "Star Innovator." The Star Innovator school will receive an additional $15,000 grant from the Intel Foundation as well as additional products and services from the sponsors, bringing the value of Star Innovator award to more than $200,000. The school winning this award must have a comprehensive program incorporating innovative and effective use of technology, engaging parents and the community in students’ education, fostering professional development and teamwork, and delivering consistent achievement of high academic standards. For more information about the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards, visit www.schoolsofdistinction.com.

Through the Intel Education initiative, Intel invests more than $100 million annually in its efforts to accelerate 21st century learning. Intel's vision is to help equip young people with the skills required to succeed in today's workforce that will in turn fuel global economic growth and innovation. For more information, visit www.intel.com/education.

Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.