First Assignment: Kids And The Economy

New York, NY (November 10, 2009) – Today Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, announced 37 new members to the Scholastic Kids Press Corps™, a diverse group of student reporters ages 10-14, who cover current events, breaking news, entertainment, and sports from their hometowns across the country.  With returning reporters, this brings the full Kids Press Corps to 54 reporters nationwide.

The Kid Reporters’ articles offer a unique, kid’s perspective on the news of the day and will be published on the Scholastic Kids Press Corps site and will occasionally report for Scholastic News® classroom magazines.  The site (www.scholastic.com/kidspress) offers the only online resource featuring news for kids, by kids.

The new reporters were chosen by the Scholastic Kids Press Corps editors based on the quality of their applications, which included an essay about their hometown, a brief biography and a letter explaining why he or she would make a good reporter.  More than 250 students competed to join the 2009-2010 Scholastic Kids Press Corps.

The newest members of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps are:
1. Maya Williams, Phoenix, AR
2. Madeleine Horner, Leucadia, CA
3. Miranda Rector, Los Angeles, CA
4. Topanga McBride, Windsor, CO
5. Nick Berray, Washington, DC
6. Henry Dunkelberger, Washington, DC
7. Alexandra Zhang, Washington, DC
8. Kiera Fobb, Homestead, FL
9. Maria Ordoñez, Miami, FL
10. N’Naserri Carew-Johnson, Atlanta, GA
11. Andrew Liang, Alpharetta, GA
12. Jeremy Sutton, Chicago, IL
13. Alysa Goethe, Bettendorf, IA
14. Lily Haffey, Lexington, KY
15. Jonas Hosmer, Potomac, MD
16. Charlie Kadado, Macomb, MI
17. Jordan Kahrhoff, St. Peters, MO
18. Gowtham Balaji, East Brunswick, NJ
19. Joseph O’Connor, Bayside, NY
20. Christopher Campbell, Bronx, NY
21. Kayla Rudess, New York, NY
22. Cecilia Gault, New York, NY
23. Grace McManus, New York, NY
24. Samantha Coffey, Sleepy Hollow, NY
25. Liam Childers, Charlotte, NC
26. Julia Desmond, Davidson, NC
27. Mariah Reynolds, Cincinnati, OH
28. Andre Baker, Cleveland, OH
29. Christian Snyder, Reynoldsburg, OH
30. Susan Hepburn, Pittsburgh, PA
31. Emma Hall, Franklin, TN
32. Erin Sheena, Bellaire, TX
33. Shelby Fairleigh, Horseshoe Bay, TX
34. Kenny Figueroa, Houston, TX
35. Kaj Lund Olsen, Greenbank, WA
36. Isabelle Quinn, Woodway, WA
37. Alexis Cornell, Evanston, WY

“The Kid Reporter program helps increase students’ awareness and interest about current events and the world around them,” said Suzanne Freeman, Director of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.  “For their first assignment, the Kid Reporters will be tackling one of the biggest stories of the day and reporting on the economy and how it’s affecting their families, friends and communities.”

Kid Reporters have interviewed everyone from President Barack Obama to the Jonas Brothers.  Other interviews include First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, Jill Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton; Senator John McCain and his daughter Bridget, Lebron James, Tiger Woods, Taylor Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Will Smith, Jordin Sparks, Tom Cruise, Whoopi Goldberg, Rachel Maddow and Brian Williams.

To see a list of the entire Scholastic Kids Press Corps, visit www.scholastic.com/kidspress, and for more information go to http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/kidreporters. 

Contact:
Jennifer Boggs
212.343.6619
jboggs@scholastic.com

Cathy Lasiewicz
212.343.6570
clasiewicz@scholastic.com