January 29, 2007
SAN GABRIEL VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 29, 2007—Edison International has selected three elementary and two middle schools located in the San Gabriel Valley 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.
Arlene Bitely Elementary Schools and Savannah Elementary School, both in Rosemead, were awarded $10,000 and $5,000, respectively, while Roger Temple Intermediate in Rosemead was awarded $10,000. Lassalette Middle School in La Puente was awarded $8,000, while Roosevelt Elementary School of San Gabriel was awarded $7,300.
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.
Bitely’s winning program, “Science: Keeping It Alive” is an after-school program designed to extend science into the homes of students by offering science workshops to parents. The program also will offer science field trips to students.
Savannah‘s “Science Seekers” program will provide fourth-grade students with a hands-on approach to science. New Era funds will provide the school with its first science laboratory.
Roger Temple’s Saturday Algebra Academy will offer algebra and geometry classes to more than 200 at-risk students.
Lassalette’s “Mathmagical Landscape” project will focus on improving math skills for low-performing, sixth-through-eighth-grade students.
Roosevelt’s “Improving Our Instruction Through Real-World Science and Conservation” program will help fifth-grade students apply science instruction in real-world settings.
“The New Era program is designed to support worthy outreach programs that might otherwise fail to get funding,” said Marissa Castro-Salvati, 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 underserved 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.
