NEW YORK — Samsung’s Four Seasons
of Hope philanthropic initiative has given
$1 million in technology products, software
and educational programming and grants
to 21 schools, with help from partners Best
Buy, Microsoft and DirecTV.
During a recent ceremony at the Samsung
Experience showroom at the Time
Warner Building, here, New York Giants’
quarterback Eli Manning presented
a $210,000 grand-prize technology package
to Capistrano Valley High School in
Mission Viejo, Calif.
The finalist schools were nominated by
parents, students, teachers and principals,
who were among more than 7,500 people
to submit essays online about how their favorite
school would benefit from improved
technology tools in the classroom. A panel
of expert judges, including TWICE editor
in chief Steve Smith, narrowed the field
to the 21 finalists, and Capistrano Valley
and its nominating essay, written by parent
Wendy Harder, were voted the best by
more than 200,000 public online votes.
“My success as a football player is tied
to the excellent education I received,” Manning said during the ceremony. “I
am proud to partner with Samsung’s
Four Seasons of Hope education initiative
to give those same opportunities to
students across the U.S.”
The million-dollar giveback came in
response to findings from Samsung’s recent
National Tech in The Classroom
survey, which showed that 77 percent
of Americans think the K-12 schools in
their communities lack the technology
access needed to help kids succeed in the
21st century. Survey respondents further
cited technology teaching tools among
the top-three needs in local classrooms
that industry could address.
Capistrano Valley’s grand prize includes
cutting-edge Samsung products,
Microsoft software, DirecTV educational
TV programming, cash grants, Best
Buy@15 gift cards and a classroom assistant
dog. Fifteen first-place winners received
$50,000 prize packages, and five
second-place winners received $10,000 in
Best Buy@15 gift cards. In addition, the
nominating essayist for each school will
receive a Samsung Go netbook.
To learn more, visit
.
com/education or the Four Seasons of
Hope Facebook fan page at
.
com/fourseasonsofhope.
