February 2, 2007
SOUTH BAY, Calif., Feb. 2, 2007—Edison International has selected two South Bay schools as winners in its New Era Awards For Excellence in K-12 Education competition. The awards recognize schools that support innovative solutions for keeping at-risk students engaged in school and focused on academic success.
Jefferson Elementary School in Hawthorne was awarded $5,300, while Leuzinger High School in Lawndale was awarded $8,900.
The schools were among the 19 winners recently awarded a total of nearly $150,000 in the latest round of the company’s annual competition for public and private schools, now in its 16th year. Winning programs in the New Era competition support science and mathematics learning, college preparation, environmental and/or energy-efficiency programs, and after-school programs that enhance learning and achievement.
Jefferson’s winning program, “Leaders Are Readers,” will provide library services after schools that encourage students to read more.
Leuzinger’s “Science Across the Curriculum” will help students work with computer-based learning systems.
“The New Era program is designed to support worthy outreach programs that might otherwise fail to get funding,” said Steven Bradford, a public affairs region manager for Southern California Edison, the utility unit of Edison International. “All of the project winners did a good job of coming up with creative ways of encouraging students to learn.”
New Era grants range from $5,000 to $10,000. They are awarded on the basis of how well the educational activities prepare at-risk students for academic success, higher education, and a competitive work force.
Edison International is a longtime supporter of education. Since 1960, the company has provided thousands of college scholarships to deserving students. Edison also has provided volunteers, technical expertise, in-kind donations, and financial assistance to a wide variety of educational enrichment programs designed to benefit Southern California youth.
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Based in Rosemead, Calif., Edison International (NYSE: EIX) is the parent company of Southern California Edison and Edison Mission Group.
