County - The Metro Herald

EDUCATION
November 7, 2008
MCDONALD’S LAUNCHES INAUGURAL
MCDONALD’S ALL AMERICAN ACHIEVERS PROGRAM
The Substance Abuse Prevention
Coalition of Alexandria
(SAPCA) received a federal
Drug Free Communities (DFC) grant of
$602,930 ($120,586 per year for five
years) that will support the work of the
coalition to prevent and reduce substance
abuse among Alexandria’s youth.
SAPCA is an alliance of more than
80 members representing parents,
youth, schools, City of Alexandria
health and recreation agencies, nonprofit
groups, businesses, faith communities,
policymakers and law enforcement
whose mission is to engage the
entire community in reducing youth
substance use and abuse in Alexandria.
SAPCA was created in 2007 as part of
the Partnership for a Healthier
McDonald’s recently unveiled
a new, in-school achievement
program, McDonald’s
All American Achievers, an opportunity
for teachers nationwide to celebrate
their top-performing students.
With the support of “CSI: NY” star
Hill Harper, McDonald’s will launch
All American Achievers as an interactive
program that not only motivates
7th and 8th graders to excel academically,
but also encourages character development
and community service.
Teachers can find entry materials at
www.365Black.com. Students are eligible
to become an All American
Achiever through submitting an expository
essay, written by the student and
submitted by his or her teacher, answering
questions about the student’s
academic accomplishments, extracurricular
activities and community citizenship.
Teachers score and submit
the classroom’s essays for consideration.
A panel of judges, including educators
and actor and longtime education
activist Harper, will select the
Grand Prize winners from the highest
scoring essays submitted.
“It’s great to see McDonald’s is
leading the path and shaping the next
generation of leaders. We need to keep
our students encouraged and motivated
now so they can be prepared for the future,”
Harper said.
Essays will be judged by scores submitted
by teachers, who will assign students
points for demonstrating McDonald’s
All American Achiever
characteristics, such as abiding by school
rules and having perfect attendance as of
the date of entry. The judges will select
the 100 highest scoring essays from
which they will identify one Grand Prize
Alexandria (www.alexhealth.org/
partnership).Mayor William D. Euille
is SAPCA’s honorary chair.
The Substance Abuse Prevention
Coalition of Alexandria will use the
funding during the first year to complete
a comprehensive community assessment
that seeks to better define the
local conditions that are contributing to
youth substance abuse in Alexandria.
First-year funding will also allow
SAPCA to develop an action plan with
intervention strategies for grant years
two through five and build community
awareness about youth substance
abuse among the City’s diverse faithbased,
business, parent and youth
groups. The Alexandria Community
Services Board will serve as the fiscal
MONTGOMERY COUNTY TEAMS UP
WITH DIAGEO TO HELP PROMOTE
RESPONSIBLE DRINKING
7th grade student essay and one Grand
Prize 8th grade student essay.
Entry materials are available to
teachers nationwide at www.365Black.
com, and are being sent directly to
teachers in 19 metropolitan areas, including:
Atlanta; Baltimore; Birmingham;
Charlotte; Chicago; Cleveland;
Dallas; Detroit; Houston; Jackson,
Miss.; Los Angeles; Miami/Ft. Lauderdale;
Memphis; Norfolk/Portsmouth,
Va.; Orlando; Philadelphia; Raleigh/
Durham; San Francisco/Oakland/San
Jose and St. Louis.
Entries are due December 8. Winners
will be announced on or about January
30, 2009, and Grand Prize winners
will receive a $500 American Express
gift card and a new laptop computer.
The remaining 98 finalists will receive
a $250 gift card. Teachers who submit
the winning essay will receive $500 to
purchase supplies for their classroom
and the winners’ corresponding schools
each receive a $2,000 check.
“The All American Achievers program
gives McDonald’s a unique opportunity
to celebrate the academic accomplishments
of youth in the African
American community, as well as acknowledge
teachers for the important
role they have,” said Carol Sagers, Director
of Marketing, McDonald’s USA.
For more information about the
McDonald’s All American Achievers
program, entry forms and official
rules, visit www.365Black.com.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION COALITION OF ALEXANDRIA
AWARDED FEDERAL GRANT
Montgomery County’s Department of Liquor Control has teamed up
with the world’s largest premium drinks business, Diageo, to promote
responsible drinking among its residents through an innovative
new website, www. DRINKiQ.com.
As a global resource for all interested parties to share programs with tools designed
to fight alcohol misuse, DRINKiQ.com helps individuals make responsible
choices about drinking. A key feature of the site, “The Responsibility Channel”
link, is an online community where consumers, parents, teachers,
government officials, retailers and others can post and share videos and programs
they have found effective in addressing alcohol-related issues. The community
aspect of DRINKiQ.com is part of what sets the website apart from other
responsibility sites. It provides visitors with a forum in which they can engage
in conversation with others who share their interest in responsible drinking.
“We are looking forward to exposing individuals in Montgomery County
to some of the unique tools DRINKiQ. com has and to sharing our materials
with other communities,” said Kathie Durbin, division chief, Licensure, Regulation
and Education in the County’s Department of Liquor Control. “Our
Keeping It Safe host responsibility materials are on the site, and that will help
parents understand that hosting under 21 drinking parties is unsafe, illegal and
unhealthy.” For more information, call Kathie Durbin at 240-777-1917.
agent overseeing the grant and staff the
coordinator position funded through
the grant. Visit www.alexhealth.org/
partnership/sapca.html; e-mail Allen
Lomax at aclomax@aol.com or Mary-
Jane Atwater at matwater@aol.com
or visit www.alexandriava.gov
VIRGINIA SMP
PROGRAM NEEDS
VOLUNTEERS
The Virginia Association of
Area Agencies on Aging
SMP Program utilizes older
volunteers to educate Medicare
and Medicaid beneficiaries about
health care fraud, waste and error.
SMP is recruiting volunteers to
help with group education efforts
and the distribution of health care
fraud toolkits in Central Virginia
beginning November.
Virginia SMP is a grant funded
program administered by U.S.
Health & Human Services, Administration
on Aging. There are 65 SMP
programs across the nation. Last
year, the Virginia SMP Program participated
in over 348 outreach activities
and community events throughout
Virginia. The SMP program
operates a toll-free number (1-800-
938-8885) in Virginia for anyone
that would like to confidentially discuss
questions about Medicare or
Medicaid billings, services and questions
about fraud, waste or errors or
report complaints.
For more information, contact
Susan Johnson at the Virginia Association
of Area Agencies on Aging
at 804-644-5628 (in Richmond) or
toll-free at 1-800-938-8885.
NINE COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES
LAUNCH HISTORIC ALLIANCE
Nine colleges and universities
including Hampton University
at the National Press Club in
Washington, D.C., to officially announce
a new educational partnership—The
Interlink Alliance. The
unique alliance will address some of
the most pressing issues facing these
and other higher education institutions.
Members of the alliance have
pledged to work cooperatively in three
key areas: faculty development, student
leadership and an African-American
male initiative that engages and
motivates prospective college students
as early as middle school.
“There is nothing more important
to all our institutions than figuring out
how to reach, retain, educate, graduate
and facilitate the success of students—
especially those who continue to be
underrepresented despite other efforts.
And we want to make sure that all our
students have everything they need to
be competitive at the highest levels,”
Ohio University President Roderick J.
McDavis said. “To do that, we must
give our faculty the tools to be exceptional.
In addition, our institutions
must be better at building our infrastructures
and conducting business.”
The alliance includes small,
medium and large institutions, all with
different characters.
‘“This alliance is another in a long
line of partnerships and collaborations
that Hampton University has engaged in
for over a century,” said Hampton University
President Dr. William R. Harvey.
“All the member institutions bring
something unique to the table and all of
us will benefit from the partnership.”
The Interlink Alliance includes Ohio
University in Athens, Ohio; Spelman
College in Atlanta; Hampton University
in Hampton, Va.; Wilberforce University
and Central State University in
Wilberforce, Ohio; Johnson C. Smith
University in Charlotte, N.C.; North
Carolina Central University in Durham,
N.C.; South Carolina State University
in Orangeburg, S.C.; and Virginia State
University in Petersburg, Va.
Although many consortia pair traditionally
white schools and historically
black colleges and universities
HOWARD RANKS NO. 1 BY
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Howard University ranks first
as the highest producer of
African-American graduates
with science and engineering doctoral
degrees nationally, according to the
National Science Foundation.
The report, “Role of HBCUs as
Baccalaureate-Origin Institutions of
Black S&E Doctorate Recipients,” examines
educational trends over the past
two decades and compares private and
public schools and Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCU)
with non-HBCU institutions to determine
how many of their students later
earn doctoral degrees in science and
engineering fields.
Howard led the country with 224
doctoral recipients in science and engineering
from 1997-2006. HBCUs took
eight of the top 10 spots. Rounding out
the leaders were Spelman College (150),
Hampton University (135), Florida
Agricultural and Mechanical University
(100), Morehouse College (99), North
Carolina A&T University (89), Southern
(HBCUs), they have tended to focus on
specific research areas or projects. Or
they have been recruitment conduits,
primarily funneling undergraduates
from HBCUs into post-baccalaureate
programs at traditionally white institutions.
The Interlink Alliance core group
put special emphasis on a peer structure
that benefits all participating institutions
and offers collaboration opportunities
for multiple institutions at once.
“This agreement represents something
new in higher education,” Mc-
Davis said. “Every institution in this
alliance brings talent, successes and research
expertise to bear on these challenges.
We’re only successful if every
member benefits.”
Among outcomes members have
discussed so far are increasing the
number of students earning graduate
degrees, increasing campus diversity at
all institutions, and sponsoring faculty
and student exchanges that foster
deeper understanding of cultural perspectives
on educational policies, laws
and resources.
Consortium initiatives include, but
are not limited to:
• Initiative for African-American
males—Establishes partnerships
with K-12 schools, focusing on
projects to support access and opportunity
for African-American
males to pursue a college education.
• Faculty development—Integral to
the consortium is the opportunity
for faculty training, advancement
and the pursuit of doctoral degrees.
• Student leadership development—
This initiative will pursue a multipronged
approach to preparing students
for high-level careers in
educational institutions, corporations
and governments in the global
economy.
• Research collaboration—This alliance
will bring researchers together
from multiple fields, with
special emphasis on cancer and biomedical
research.
• Infrastructure—Member institutions
will collaborate on infrastructure
improvement through sharing
best practices of successful programs,
services and partnerships.
University A&M College at Baton
Rouge (79), Xavier University (73).
“This is exciting news for Howard
University,” said Dr. Alvin Thornton, Interim
Provost and Chief Academic Officer.
“The STEM disciplines—science,
technology, engineering and mathematics—are
assigned a high priority at
Howard. An important dimension of the
University’s mission is the preparation
of African American and other underrepresented
students for doctoral-level
graduate study and professional careers
in the STEM disciplines.”
Thornton adds, “Significant credit
goes to our faculty for their student
mentoring and professional activities,
and research that facilitates the success
of our students. We are pleased with
the contribution that we are able to
make to our nation in this important
area of national need.”
The report underscores the critical
role HBCUs play in nurturing and producing
leaders in sciences.
To read the full report visit http://
nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08319/
6 THE METRO HERALD