Talbot Hill Elementary School's School of Distinction Award

December 8, 2004 - The King County Journal today ran a wonderful story about Talbot Hill Elementary School's School of Distinction Award. Talbot Hill won the innovative use of technology category, and is the only school from Washington to be honored with the award.

The award, given by Intel Corporation and Scholastic Inc., includes national recognition, a $10,000 grant from the Intel Foundation and educational resources valued at more than $120,000. Only 20 schools in the nation were honored as Schools of Distinction.

The national award program recognizes America's finest K-12 schools. Winning schools were selected from more than 1,200 applications and judged on their implementation of innovative and replicable programs that support positive educational outcomes.

A contributing factor in being selected for the honor is Talbot Hill's MicroSociety program, the only such program in Washington. Through MicroSociety, a school reform model recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, students create a fully functioning mini-society, creating a community with businesses, non-profit organizations, media outlets, government entities - including courts, the IRS, and a legislature - and humanities-focused institutions. In the process, they learn how the real world operates while applying the core subjects in real world settings. The community supports the program with parent volunteers, university internships, adult mentors, volunteers from the business sector, and other resources.

'This award celebrates our school's commitment to excellence along with the dedication and hard work of our teachers and students,' said school principal Sheryl Dunton. 'The grant and resources will allow us to continue to innovate in our MicroSociety program by giving our students more opportunities to use real-world programs and technology.'

Read the story in today's King County Journal or visit http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/180321