The LEAGUE Roster

Mom always said "be kind" – and as we approach Mother’s Day LEAGUE students are taking mom’s words to heart by giving communities across the country the gift of their time, talent and treasure.

If you are not already a part of The LEAGUE visit The LEAGUE website to find out more or to join the 1,963 teams (classes), 227 schools and 67,001 students actively participating in LEAGUE Events and programs.

Visit www.theleague.org today!

Josh Lucas, Actor and Philanthropist To Co-Host The LEAGUE National Awards & Recognition Breakfast
Purchase Tickets Today!

Join us on June 5, 2009 from 8:00am to 11:00 am for The LEAGUE National Awards & Recognition Breakfast at Chelsea Piers - Pier Sixty in New York City.

• MC and Co-Host, Josh Lucas
• Special Guest, U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, presenting the All America High School Service Team Awards

We hope that you can join us and title sponsor ING on June 5th to celebrate the All America High School Service Team as well as our top LEAGUE schools, classes, districts and students for their accomplishments during the 2008-2009 school year.

Save the date and join us for another great celebration in 2009!

Purchase tickets today!

• Table Sponsorship Opportunities AvailableING
• 2009 National Awards & Recognition Co-Chairpersons:
  • David Musto - Managing Director, JP Morgan Funds Management
  • Rica Orszag - Founder, Rica PR

For more information contact Luanne Samuel at luanne.samuel@leagueworldwide.org.

U.S Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, PARADE Magazine
and The LEAGUE To Present The All America High School Service Team!

The U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan will recognize and honor five high school students from across the country who have made nationally significant contributions in the service areas of health, education, environment, economics or community.

High School students can submit an application to be considered for theArne Duncan All America High School Service Team in any of five categories: Health, Education, Environment, Economics, or Community.  Winners will be determined in a two tier judging process represented by a cross section of a blue ribbon panel of judges.  The All America High School Service Team is a recognition and acknowledgment of students for doing measurable work to make a positive difference on issues in society. This award creates a team of high school philanthropists that will serve as the national "face of service."  Winners will receive an all expense paid trip to NYC (for themselves and one parent/teacher) to receive the award at The LEAGUE June 5th event from the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. In addition, winners will become a national youth spokesperson for service and a member of The LEAGUE National Youth Commission. To find out more information on the All America High School Service Team Award go to www.parade.com/allamericanteam.

39,000 Volunteers Take a Stand For a More Beautiful Newark

On April 22, 2009, school children, corporate employees, city officials and Newark, New Jersey residents all had the same mission: to commit to creating a more Beautiful Newark. Over 39,000 volunteers of all ages braved the gloomy weather and cleaned, painted and planted seeds throughout the city.

The Beautiful Newark kick-off took place at Hawthorne Avenue School. The energy was vibrant as Hawthorne students came out with banners that showed pride in their school and for the Earth. With chants of "Hawthorne" and "Beautiful Newark" in the air, Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker spoke to the students of the importance of Earth Day being an every day event.

Joined by other top Newark officials, Mayor Booker officially kicked off the event and announced that it was time for the students to "Start cleaning!" With bags in their hands and smiles on their faces, Hawthorne Avenue students, along with the other 70 Newark Public Schools went off to make their school and their city more beautiful.

21st Century Knights Accounced

Congratulations to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Scholarship winners.  From over 150 entries from 25 states, three talented students were selected as the first recipients of The LEAGUE and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Scholarship. The Knight scholarship is a national scholarship competition for high school seniors to recognize their writings or reflections on civic experiences in one of three categories: Persuasive Essay (building awareness and inviting action for change in your school, community or the world), Personal Narrative (experiences with service and volunteerism), or News Story (creating newspaper articles that reports acts of service and volunteerism by young people).

These three students will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship.

Meera Ramakrishnan
Archbishop Mitty High School
Santa Clara, CA

Ariane Man-Willrich
Henry M. Gunn High School
Palo Alto, CA

Judith Ezike
University High School of the Humanities
Newark, NJ

Lights Camera Action- School Bridge LEAGUE DVD Available NOW!

School Bridge LEAGUE will release its first DVD showcasing School Bridge LEAGUE students and their Bridge playing abilities.  This DVD will be a great visual resource for teachers in their classrooms, and a presentation to students that the game of Bridge is not only educational, but cool! School Bridge LEAGUE
 
Mila Antonova, a new member to the School Bridge LEAGUE team, taped students for the DVD at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Teaneck, NJ during the School Bridge LEAGUE 2009 Winter Tournament.

This DVD is available in the Online Shop at www.schoolbridgeleague.org.  We know that this will be great for both students and teachers, in understanding and learning the game of Bridge.  If you have any questions about the DVD or would like for us to tape your School Bridge LEAGUE students in NY, NJ or CT please contact paula@schoolbridgeleague.org.

Keep Austin Green

What is each person's responsibility for environmental stewardship?  A Legacy of Giving (The LEAGUE Central Texas partnership) and Keep Austin Beautiful (KAB) joined with 14 Austin schools to answer that question this May. KAB offered participating schools additional educational and project support, educating the students on a variety of environmental topics including recycling, litter impact, watersheds and the role of native plants. Some of the service projects performed by these amazing young people included:

Kiker Elementary School
4th and 5th graders at Kiker Elementary School conducted a storm drain marking project. Storm drain marking is a visual reminder that storm drains are for storm water only.

Paredes Middle School
8th graders at Paredes participated in their version of KAB’s "Clean Sweep" by picking up litter to beautify the campus.
 
Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders
6th – 8th graders at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders hosted their annual Enviro-Fair festival, an educational fair and also a fundraiser to help raise money to install a greenhouse on campus.  Students at Ann Richards started this tradition of the Enviro-Fair last year, and it is now an annual event that the girls take great pride in putting on.

Forest Trail Elementary School
5th graders at Forest Trail Elementary School (Eanes Independent School District) will be conducting a campus clean-up activity in science classes, after having learned about the impact of litter. These students will become leaders in their school as they encourage the practice of picking up after oneself and throwing away garbage to make the campus a more beautiful place!

Athletes Who Care

School administration at Clark-Pleasant Middle School in Whiteland, Indiana was pleased with the progress that they made in the academic and behavioral areas of their student athletes.  However, administrators felt there was still something missing, so Clark-Pleasant Middle School athletic department added a service-learning component to its athletic program this year.  The Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation, which has been a member of The LEAGUE for the past couple of years, and Mr. Jay Staley, CPMS Athletic Director, who became The LEAGUE "head coach" this year, led this program.

Each of the middle school athletic teams was asked to conduct a community service activity during their season.  Some of the activities included: reading to elementary students, cleaning a fire station, a food drive, trash pick up around campus and adjoining neighborhoods, and participation in "Bop to the Top" in downtown Indianapolis, which raised $1600 for Riley Hospital in Indiana, with proceeds going toward Breast Cancer research.

The LEAGUE and Clark-Pleasant Middle School are very proud of its student-athletes and coaches for their participation this year and hope to build upon this year’s successes next year.

The TIPping Point

"There is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success."
-George Matthew Adams

We are not self made; we are community made. We are all influenced and nurtured in many ways by our environment, families, and the communities to which we belong. And this month as we recognize the caring influence of mothers in our lives, we can also recognize the many others (known and unknown) who have nurtured us. It is our responsibility in a civil society to honor community by paying forward the same nurturing and sharing. Here are some ideas: Smile at people you pass in the store or street. Give a small scholarship for a middle school student to take summer music lessons. Pick up trash in a local hiking trail or park. Visit or send flowers to someone who is ill or living alone. Cook a meal for a busy family. Buy produce from a local farmer. Ride the bus one day a week instead of driving.

Lead by example. We are all community made.