GLOBAL VIRTUAL CLASSROOM
2008/09 AWARD WINNING WEBSITES ANNOUNCED

Dallas, Texas, May 5, 2009 – The Give Something Back International
Foundation (GSBI) has announced the winners of the 2008/2009 Global Virtual Classroom Contest (GVC) -- a free online collaborative learning project that fosters creativity, cross cultural understanding, helping others and teaches IT and website design skills amongst students working together from around the world.

Sponsored by GSBI, the GVC program provides an opportunity for primary and secondary school students from different countries to work with and learn from students in other countries, as they collaboratively design a website on a topic of their choosing.  Teams are comprised of either three primary or three secondary schools from different countries. A panel of international judges evaluates the final work and determines the winners.

In September 2008, AT&T* announced a $50,000 contribution to support the Global Virtual Classroom project.

With subjects that range from wildlife education and conservation to cultural comparisons of their respective countries, and from clean water, pollution, and climate change to music around the world, sites from participating teams show the kind of creativity that can come from putting approximately 2,100 students from 23 different countries together in a collaborative endeavor.

Their efforts were judged for content, presentation, collaboration, and new this year, a helping focus. The helping focus was added to encourage students to also demonstrate achievement of a helpful objective such as personal, social and/or environmental responsibility or support for a worthy cause.

This year’s Grand Prize winner for the primary school category is “The School of Kindness” designed by students from Ein Ganim School in Petach Tikva, Israel; Harrison Elementary School in Warsaw, Indiana, USA; and Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. Their website promotes kindness and shows ways to help people all over the world through stories, fables, and images created by the students of the three schools.

Hedy Rosenthal, the Principal at Ein Ganim, Israel, states that “watching students build a website about kindness is everything education should be. It is not only learning English but acquiring technology skills for tomorrow’s world and reinforcing educational values which can not be taught with any textbook.”

The Second Place winner in the primary school category is the “Walk on the Wild Side” website presented by Reservoir Middle School in Newport News, Virginia, USA; Gymnasia №57 in Kurganskaya Oblast, Russia; and Epiphany Cathedral School in Venice, Florida, USA.

In Third Place of the primary schools is “Our Global Rainbow: Looking Beyond the Colors” from Topa Topa Elementary School, Ojai, California, USA; Lahore American School, Canal Bank, Lahore, Pakistan; and St. Therese School in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

The secondary school category’s Grand Prize winner is the “World of Water” created by C S Ramachary Memorial Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Madurai, Tamilnadu, India; Athens District High School in Athens, Ontario, Canada; and Percy Julian Middle School in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. This team created a very educational and interactive site complete with compelling original artwork on the current issues related to water usage and pollution.

The Second Place winner for the secondary school category is the “Friendship Bridges Gallery” created by Warrandyte High School of Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia; Wako Kokusai High School in Saitama, Japan; and Municipal Educational Establishment Secondary School #11 of Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

Third Place is awarded to Philippine Science High School of Quezon City, Philippines; and Littleton High School from Littleton, Colorado, USA for their website about “Sustainable Development.”

Certificates of participation are awarded to all students. Plaques and cash awards are presented to the schools of the winning teams. The Grand Prize award is $3,000 for the winning primary school team and $3,000 for the secondary school team. The second place award is $1,500 for each winning team and the third place award is $750 to each team.

JoAnn Patrick-Ezzell, the Chairman and one of the co-founders of the Give Something Back International Foundation said, “Beyond the impressive accomplishments of the website projects, we are thrilled that the teams also found ways to give back to their schools, fellow students, and their communities in very meaningful ways. I’d like to thank AT&T for their great support of the GVC,  Their commitment to supporting education projects around the world is inspiring.”

To view the winning websites visit www.VirtualClassroom.org.  Online applications for the 2009/10 program are also available on the site.

AT&T Supports 2010/11 Global Virtual Classroom Program
A global collaborative learning program for primary and secondary students now in its eighth year

DALLAS, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* today announced a $25,000 contribution to support the Global Virtual Classroom (GVC) program – a free online collaborative learning project that fosters teamwork, creativity, cross cultural understanding and teaches IT and website design skills amongst students working together from around the world.
Sponsored by the Give Something Back International Foundation (GSBI), and now in its eighth year, the GVC provides an opportunity for primary and secondary school students around the world to work with and learn from students in other countries, as they collaboratively design a website on a topic of their choosing. Over the years, 33,500 students and 1,400 teachers from over 600 schools in 52 countries have participated in the program.
JoAnn Patrick-Ezzell, Chairman and one of the co-founders of the GSBI Foundation said, "We are very grateful for the support AT&T has provided to us over the years. As a global company connecting millions of people every day, AT&T is an ideal partner for the program. Through the use of blogs, an interactive website, and online research and design tools, the GVC helps teachers and students harness the power and benefits of technology to strengthen cross-cultural collaboration."
Each GVC team consists of three primary or three secondary schools from different countries. Once the teams have completed their projects and designed their websites, a panel of international judges evaluates the final work products and determines the winners. Plaques and cash awards are presented to the schools of the winning teams and each student receives a certificate of participation. The Grand Prize award is $3,000 for the winning primary school team and $3,000 for the winning secondary school team. The second place award is $1,500 for each winning team and the third place award is $750 to each team.
More details of the GVC program, the schedule as well as the online application can be found at www.VirtualClassroom.org.
Online applications will be accepted through September 30th, at which time teams of three schools from different countries will be formed and start to work together. Beyond the accomplishment of the website projects, these teams will learn how to collaborate across cultures and form new, first-hand understandings and friendships with those from different lands.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

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AT&T SUPPORTS GLOBAL VIRTUAL CLASSROOM PROGRAM
A global collaborative learning program for primary and secondary school students

Dallas, Texas, Sept. 14, 2009 — AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced a $49,500 contribution to support the Global Virtual Classroom (GVC). GVC is a free online collaborative learning project that fosters teamwork, creativity, cross cultural understanding and teaches IT and website design skills among students working together from around the world. The support of AT&T helps facilitate the GVC’s website design competition and brings groups of schools from around the world together to work on online projects.

GVC, which is sponsored by the Give Something Back International Foundation (GSBI) and is in its seventh year, is a free online Internet educational program for primary and secondary school students from around the world. It provides an opportunity for students to work with and learn from their contemporaries in other countries, as they collaboratively design a website on a topic of their choosing.  The program is supported by an exciting, new website that includes blogs and numerous powerful online resources to assist students with research on a variety of topics. The website, www.virtualclassroom.org, also provides technology tools which, among other things, enable students to prepare podcasts, incorporate animation into their sites and creatively develop original art.

Commenting on the 2009/10 program, JoAnn Patrick-Ezzell, Chairman and one of the co-founders of the GSBI Foundation, said: "We thank AT&T and the AT&T Foundation for their support of GVC and their enduring commitment to youth education. Over the years 31,500 students and 1,350 teachers from over 550 schools in 52 countries have participated in the GVC program. As a global company helping to connect millions of people every day, AT&T is an ideal partner to sponsor this program which through the use of blogs, an interactive website and a variety of online research tools, helps teachers and students to harness the power and benefits of technology to strengthen cross-cultural collaboration."

Each GVC team consists of three primary or three secondary schools from different countries.  Once the teams have completed their planning work and designed their websites, a panel of international judges evaluates the final work products and determines the winners.  Plaques and cash awards are presented to the schools of the winning teams and each student receives a certificate of participation.  The Grand Prize award is $3,000 for the winning primary school team and $3,000 for the winning secondary school team. The second place award is $1,500 for each winning team and the third place award is $750 to each team.

More details of the GVC program, the schedule, and the due dates as well as a copy of the online application can be found at www.VirtualClassroom.org.

Online applications will be accepted through September 25th, at which time teams of three schools from different countries will be formed and start to work together on their websites.  Beyond the accomplishment of the website projects, these teams will learn how to collaborate across cultures and form new, first-hand understandings and friendships with those from different lands.

 

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AT&T SUPPORTS GLOBAL VIRTUAL CLASSROOM PROGRAM

A global collaborative learning program for primary and secondary school students

Dallas, Texas, Sept. 9, 2008 — AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced a $50,000 contribution to support the Global Virtual Classroom (GVC) - a free online collaborative learning project that fosters teamwork, creativity, cross cultural understanding and teaches IT and website design skills amongst students working together from around the world.

Sponsored by the Give Something Back International Foundation (GSBI), and now in its sixth year, the GVC provides an opportunity for primary and secondary school students from different countries to work with and learn from students in other countries, as they collaboratively design a website on a topic of their choosing. 

Commenting on the 2008/9 program, JoAnn Patrick-Ezzell, Chairman and one of the co-founders of the GSBI Foundation said, “It is very exciting for us to have the support of AT&T, a global company deeply committed to youth education, and to providing services that connect people with each other and with the information they need.  This is a great match that will benefit the students working together from their many countries, and allow us to expand and enhance the program.  Over the years, we have had approximately 29,000 students and 1,300 teachers participate from over 500 schools from 50 countries.”

Each GVC team consists of three primary or three secondary schools from different countries.  Once the teams have completed their planning work and designed their websites, a panel of international judges evaluates the final work products and determines the winners.  Plaques and cash awards are presented to the schools of the winning teams and each student receives a certificate of participation.  The Grand Prize award is $3,000 for the winning primary school team and $3,000 for the winning secondary school team. The second place award is $1,500 for each winning team and the third place award is $750 to each team.

More details of the GVC program, the schedule, and the due dates as well as a copy of the online application can be found at www.VirtualClassroom.org.

Online applications will be accepted through September 26th, at which time teams of three schools from different countries will be formed and start to work together on their websites.  Beyond the accomplishment of the website projects, these teams will learn how to collaborate across cultures and form new, first-hand understandings and friendships with those from different lands.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
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Chalin Tulyathan
ctulyathan@lsagency.com
212.242.9353 x 218   

Menswear Designer Kai D. to Launch Pop-up Shop on New York’s Lower East Side
Shop will Feature Limited Edition Product with Portion of Sales Benefiting
New York Cares and Give Something Back International

New York (September 15,  2009) –  The Kai D. pop-up shop will launch on September 29th at 75 Orchard Street and be an exciting addition to the Lower East Side’s mix of historical and hip.  Located one block from the Tenement Museum and among some of today’s most fashionable retailers, Kai D. will offer shoppers personally crafted fashions and a unique sense of style.  The shop will be open to the public through late November and feature Kai D.’s Fall/Winter and Holiday men’s collections, as well as a limited edition charity collection entitled “Build the Future”. 

The Kai D. collection is inspired by hunting-gear, work-wear and vintage military uniforms that have been re-interpreted into functional clothing for a modern lifestyle.  The pop-up will highlight collection favorites such as the Bowery Shirt, a versatile “little black” shirt, and the Bond Street Wool Jacket, a perfect hybrid of a barn jacket and sport-coat.  The limited edition “Build the Future” collection, available for the first time, will feature t-shirts, bags and stationary.  Twenty percent of the sales of this special line will be donated directly to New York Cares and Give Something Back International, two organizations that work to help children build better futures.

As a designer working in New York, Kai D. uses almost entirely local-based resources to produce his collection.  Drawing on New York’s heritage as the center of America’s clothing industry, Kai D. hopes that local production will help enhance the businesses of the city’s struggling apparel manufacturers and resonate with New Yorker’s pride for homegrown goods. 

The Kai D. Pop-up Shop will be open from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily.  To contact the shop please call (INSERT PHONE), for more information visit www.kaidutility.com.

About New York Cares

New York Cares is New York City’s leading volunteer organization.  Founded in 1987, New York Cares enables more than 43,000 New Yorkers each year to serve on hands-on volunteer projects that help New Yorkers in need break the cycle of poverty and build better lives.  New York Cares offers a full range of volunteer opportunities that meet critical social needs and build brighter futures, including helping children learn to read, helping low income students get into college, revitalizing public parks and schools, delivering job training to unemployed men and women, preparing meals for homeless and housebound people,  and much more.  Last year, New York Cares volunteers helped 450,000 New Yorkers in need.  For more information, visit www.newyorkcares.org.

About Give Something Back International

The Give Something Back International Foundation (GSBI) is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide life-changing, quality education to children, young adults, and teachers around the world that will have a lasting impact on their future lives and that of their families. GSBI also manages the Global Virtual Classroom Project (GVC) - a free, online educational program for primary and secondary school students from around the world. This project fosters cross-cultural understanding, collaborative learning, planning and problem solving and giving back to others while providing an opportunity to learn 21st century internet, information technology and website design skills. For more information, visit www.GiveSomethingBack.org.