New York – Samsung presented $1 million in technology,
including a grand prize of $155,000 to West Salem High School of Oregon, as
part of its Solve For Tomorrow contest.
The presentation was made today at the Samsung Experience
showroom, here, in partnership with Grammy Award winner and Show Me Campaign founder John Legend.
The
contest, which is part of Samsung’s Hope for Children initiative, is a national
science, technology, engineering and mathematics competition. During the last
six months, more than 1,100 schools from across the country have competed for
$1 million in technology from Samsung and its partners Microsoft, DirecTV and
the Adobe Foundation.
As
part of Samsung’s Hope for Children initiative, and in partnership with Change
the Equation and the National Environmental Education Foundation, Solve for
Tomorrow aims to increase student interest in science, technology, engineering
and math (STEM).
David
Steel, executive VP of strategy and corporate communications, Samsung
Electronics America, said, “We know everyone is excited to win this technology,
but for us the real win is the enthusiasm and excitement that the program has
generated in STEM at schools across the country.”
West Salem
High School will choose from a range of technology prizes, including
projectors, smart boards, LED TVs, printers, laptops and software. The total
grand-prize package is valued at $155,000. The school’s use of technology,
innovative thinking and creativity were key factors in setting it apart from
the other schools, which was recognized by both a public voting panel and
Samsung’s panel of judges.
“Solving
the crisis in America’s public education system is one of the most critical
issues of our time, and Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow competition is an example
of a large corporation using its resources to harness the enthusiasm that so
many children have for learning,” said John Legend.
The
singer, who has partnered with Samsung on this and other initiatives also
founded the Show Me Campaign, which aims to end educational inequality by
spreading awareness about the issue and inspiring citizens to fight for every
American child¹s right to a quality public education.
The
five finalists honored at the event each received at least $80,000 in
additional technology and were selected through a combination of public online
voting and Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow panel of judges. The panelists included
representatives from Samsung, Microsoft, the Adobe Foundation, the National
Environmental Education Foundation, Communities in Schools, Great Schools, USA
Today Education and Change the Equation, as well as Steve Smith, editor in
chief of TWICE.
Additional
information is available through the Samsung Facebook Solve tab at
. To learn more about the
Samsung Hope for Children initiative, visit
.
To learn more about John Legend’s efforts through the Show Me Campaign, visit
.
