Brownwood’s own East Elementary is in the running to receive a $20,000 grant from Parenting Magazine’s Mom Congress School Transformation Grant Contest and they need help to get back into first place. Currently East Elementary is in a tight race with Wylie Preparatory Academy in Wylie, Texas and they are looking for more community support. The contest ends September 30th so vote now and vote often – click here to vote for East Elementary in Brownwood.
Parenting’s Editor Cathy McManus said that this is the first year they have offered the Mom Congress School Transformation Grant Contest. McManus stated that East Elementary is still in the top three ranking and that it is a close race to determine who will win. Voters can view the current standings at Parenting.com by sorting the entries on the “Winning Schools” tab. McManus stated that Parenting will release the total number of votes after the winner is announced.
“Thanks to user voting, Brownwood East Elementary just recently pulled ahead of Sonora Elementary in Springdale, AR, but is currently in second place behind Wylie Preparatory Academy in Wylie, Texas,” said McManus.
The winner will be determined at the end of the voting period and will be notified by early October. At that time, the $20,000 grant will be awarded directly to the winning school. .
“Parenting saw this contest as an opportunity for the Mom Congress community to give back to a school in need,” said McManus. “Parenting launched Mom Congress in an effort to provide readers with the education news and resources they need to make a difference, and this is something we hope can bring about a positive change for schools across the country.”
McManus explained that Mom Congress was launched by Parenting in 2009 as a way to celebrate and connect parents fighting for better schools. Every year, Parenting gathers 51 mom delegates from across the country – one from each state and D.C. – to attend the Mom Congress on Education and Learning conference at Georgetown University. The delegates meet with national education leaders and advocates and Parenting magazine editors to discuss the importance of getting involved in their children’s schools. Throughout the year, the delegates continue to support education reform by contributing to the Mom Congress blog, actively posting on the Mom Congress Facebook page, attending Mom Congress and partner events, and more. According to McManus, readers who are interested in joining the initiative and learning from delegates’ success can sign up free of charge for Mom Congress membership on Parenting.com/MomCongress – membership currently exceeds 21,000.
McManus said that it is hard to pinpoint why certain schools seem to stand out in a contest like this, but the age of social media may have something to do with it.
“Who knows what catches a voter’s eye? Perhaps voters relate to schools that are in need of something they themselves value – like safe playground equipment, funding for after school programs, etc.,” said McManus. “We’ve seen lots of parents spreading the word on their school’s entry through Facebook and Twitter, encouraging entire communities to get out and vote for their school. Once an entry is submitted, the option to share it through social media is right there to make voting easy.”
McManus expressed excitement about the tight race.
“One thing’s certain – this is going to be a tight competition, with so many great entries!”
The community is encouraged to help East gain the lead and widen the voting margin by voting now and voting often to help the students at East Elementary win this grant. The $20,000 grant will allow them to replace old and damaged playground equipment that needs to be more age appropriate and safe for our local children.
