Education Innovator Awards

National School Choice Week: Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Capital Plaza – 100 State Street, Montpelier, VT

For the fourth-consecutive year, National School Choice Week will present cash prize Education Innovator Awards. This is an opportunity to showcase what is great about your school, educator, student, or parent. Attendance at NSCW is not predicated on having an entry. Deadline: 8:00 pm on January 27, 2020.

Spots are limited. Anyone who is planning on attending or submitting to the competition should contact Betsy Hoza.

Here are the 4 categories for the competition:

1. Innovative School: We want Vermont Schools to show us how they are unique and why students want to choose them. This can be done by submitting a short essay, poem, song, video, or work of art. In each case, the submission should not take more than 5 minutes to present and the artwork should fit within a 2ft by 2ft cube and be easily transportable. Art should be photographed for the competition and then, ideally, be placed on display at the National School Choice event on Jan. 29th in Capital Plaza. We would ask participants to bring it with them and then take it when they leave unless prior arrangements are made. Grand Prize: $1500 Second: $750 Third: $250

2. Innovative Educator: Celebrate the extraordinary efforts of an educator. This can be a teacher, administrator, principal, or coach. Please describe in 500 words or less why they are someone that only your school has and how they uniquely approach education and have gone above and beyond to deliver an exceptional educational experience. Grand Prize: $1500 Second: $750 Third: $250 

3. Innovative Student: In a personal narrative, express what school choice means to you. Tell us your story. If you changed schools, how did this positively affect you? How has your school impacted your education? Can you articulate what is different or special about it? As an individual student, please write a 2-3-minute piece (not more than 500 words) about your learning experience and how it is changed you. If possible, briefly include innovations you would like to see in future education. Grand Prize: $1500 Second: $750 Third: $250

4. Innovative Parent/s: This award can go to one or both parents. We are looking for parents who have been outstanding participants in their children’s educational process and strongly advocated for their children’s personalized educational needs. Tell us what school choice and personalizing education for your child means to you. Only parents or guardians with current K-12 aged kids are eligible. Parents can submit together or individually. Send us an essay or video that is 2-3 minutes long. Grand Prize: $1500 Second: $750 Third: $250

Each cash prize is awarded to the school or person chosen from each category.

Some additional rules and guidelines:

1. Imagination and creativity are key.

2. We encourage participants to reflect on the promise of educational freedom in America and the role of the family in choosing a school in pursuit of personalized learning and advocating for a student’s educational specific needs.

3. Awards and winners will be announced in Montpelier on January 29, 2020 at the Nation School Choice Week event. Schools, Educators, Students, and Parents must be present or have representatives attending the awards ceremony in order to be considered for the prize money. (Exceptions may be made with prior approval.)

4. Schools must secure or wave any confidentiality/photography requirements per your school policy. 

5. Schools recognize events will be shared digitally with selected audiences to show how great Vermont independent schools are. Videos become shared property of National School Choice Week committee representatives and submitting schools. 

6. Judges have final say over awards and results. 

7. Videos should be submitted via YouTube or Vimeo with a link sent to either Brad Ferland  [bferland@together.net ] or Asher Crispe [ ashercrispe@gmail.com ]. If you want to send the video another way, exceptions can be made with prior approval.

Print out a copy of the form here.