2006 Program and Partner News

October 2006—First Lady Laura Bush and Time Inc. unveil TeachersCount campaign

On October 5, 2006, First Lady Laura Bush spoke at the official launch of the TeachersCount National Social Marketing Campaign at Time Inc. Headquarters in New York City.  At this exciting event, Time Inc.’s editors and publishers, representatives from TeachersCount and Jones New York In The Classroom, and members of the press viewed poster-size versions of all the ads in the campaign as the First Lady spoke.  Charlene Gnagy, who was Mrs. Bush’s most influential teacher growing up, attended as well.  This launch signifies Time Inc.’s official support of the TeachersCount campaign.

The TeachersCount National Social Marketing Campaign is a large-scale initiative to bring heightened recognition to the teaching profession.  The campaign consists of a series of print public service announcements (PSAs), each of which feature a celebrity or other high-profile individual and his or her favorite teachers.  Each of the ads include a few inspiring words about teaching, along with the tagline, “Behind every famous person is a fabulous teacher.”  The ads appear on a regular basis throughout the Time Inc. family of magazines.  For more information on the campaign, please click here.

August 2006—Jeremy Piven joins Time Inc. social marketing campaign

TeachersCount is excited to introduce a new face in the social marketing campaign: Jeremy Piven of Entourage and Old School fame. Piven chose to honor his mother, Joyce Piven, the co-founder of an acting school in Chicago, as his favorite teacher. He joins a line-up of fellow Hollywood stars and people who excel in the academic, athletic, and political world to help promote the teaching profession.

August 2006—First TeachersCount feature to appear in September’s Instructor

The September issue of Instructor magazine, produced by Scholastic Inc., will feature the first of a series of articles based on the theme, “Behind every incredible kid is an inspiring teacher.” Teacher Rene Buffo Miles and her award-winning author student Jessica Atkinson will be featured in the edition. OfficeMax will provide gifts to the teachers profiled in this column throughout the school year.

July 2006—Super Hero Teachers make their debut in OfficeMax stores nationwide

The results of the OfficeMax Super Hero Teacher of the Year Contest, in the form of a special-edition comic book, are now available in participating OfficeMax stores nationwide. The Super Hero contest recognized outstanding middle school teachers and the students who nominated them by turning them into real comic book characters. Students in grades 6-8 nominated their teachers by writing short essays called “Why My Teacher Is a Super Hero". The grand-prize winners, along with five first-prize winning teachers and students, appear in a special-edition comic book that features teachers as Super Heroes. They are currently being distributed at OfficeMax stores for free this summer. Check back in the fall for an announcement of next year's contest!

June 2006—TeachersCount presents at Craigslist Foundation's Non-Profit Boot Camp

Diana Burroughs, the Executive Director of TeachersCount, spoke at Non-Profit Boot Camp, presented by the Craigslist Foundation, in New York City on June 10. She, along with Jeanette Gisbert of New York Cares and Toby Sanchez, a non-profit consultant who teaches at NYU, led a workshop called, "Recruiting and Keeping Volunteers and Board Members."

June 2006—Three new faces join the TeachersCount ad campaign

Actors Marg Helgenberger (of CSI), Virginia Madsen (of Sideways), and Bradley Whitford (of The West Wing) have signed on to be a part of the TeachersCount National Social Marketing Campaign in the Time Inc. family of magazines. They join the ranks of actors Tony Shalhoub and Edie Falco, NYU President John Sexton, and soccer player Alecko Eskandarian, all of whom appeared in TeachersCount ads featuring the slogan, "Behind every famous person is a fabulous teacher."

June 2006—Young writer and young actor to be featured in Instructor magazine

TeachersCount will profile young author Jessica Atkinson, young actor Alex Rutherford, and both kids' teachers in a feature that will regularly appear in Scholastic's Instructor magazine. Jessica, a winner in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition, and her teacher Rene Bufo Miles have been interviewed for the feature, as have Alex Rutherford, who plays the young Tarzan in Broadway's Tarzan, and his three teachers, Penny Proskintopoulos, Donna Spigarolo, and Matt Tomei. The features will start appearing in Instructor this fall.

March 2006—TeachersCount and Scholastic form partnership

Beginning in August, TeachersCount will be responsible for one page per issue in Scholastic's Instructor magazine, the nation's premier magazine for teachers. The concept of the page will be “Behind every incredible kid is an inspiring teacher,” which is a play on the slogan of the TeachersCount social marketing campaign for Time Inc.: “Behind every famous person is a fabulous teacher.” Each of these features will highlight a child with an amazing accomplishment and the teacher who most inspired that child. A retail sponsor will provide an honorary gift for each featured teacher. The two companies are currently brainstorming additional ways to partner.

March 2006—Hallmark and TeachersCount renew and revamp partnership

After a successful program last year, in which over 50,000 teachers received e-cards, Hallmark and TeachersCount are renewing their collaboration to include five additional free teacher appreciation e-cards for a total of ten. Hallmark is again making the web feature “Ten Ways to Thank a Teacher” available on its website and is linking to the new web feature “Ten Ways to Make Teacher Appreciation Week Count” on this website.

January 2006—OfficeMax Super Hero Teacher of the Year Contest launched by TeachersCount, Marvel Entertainment, and OfficeMax

The OfficeMax Super Hero Teacher of the Year Contest has been finalized and launched.  The contest will recognize outstanding middle school teachers and the students who nominate them by turning them into real comic book characters.  Students in grades 6-8 can nominate their teachers by writing short essays called “Why My Teacher Is a Super Hero,” and either sending them to TeachersCount or dropping them off at participating OfficeMax stores.  Contest details, official rules, and entry forms are available at OfficeMax stores or on the contest website.  One grand-prize winning teacher and student will make an illustrated “cameo” appearance in a mainstream Marvel comic book, like Spider-Man or The Fantastic Four.  The grand-prize winners, along with five first-prize winning teachers and students, will also appear in a special-edition comic book that features teachers as Super Heroes and that will be distributed at OfficeMax stores for free next summer.  The aforementioned winners and five runner-up teachers and students will receive other prizes from OfficeMax as well.

January 2006—Valentine’s Day Fundraising Auction held on CharityFolks.com

The Valentine’s Day Fundraising Auction was launched on CharityFolks.com.  Items being auctioned include a weeklong cruise on a 94-foot yacht built in 1914, a date with Miss USA, a walk-on role on the hit show, The Shield, a weekend in a 12th-century private castle outside Vienna, VIP tickets to the Playboy Super Bowl Party in Detroit, dinner with Woody Harrelson, tickets to Fashion Week events, and much more.  CharityFolks.com is the leading online auction venue for non-profit organizations.  The auction is slated to run through February 7.

January 2006—TeachersTopic by Betsy Rogers, the 2003 National Teacher of the Year, posted on the TeachersCount website

Betsy Rogers, the 2003 National Teacher of the Year, fielded questions on teacher leadership for the newest edition of TeachersTopic.  Betsy Rogers was introduced to TeachersCount through the Teacher Leaders Network.  TeachersTopic features a discussion about a timely topic in education with an expert in the field on a periodical basis.  To read the latest TeachersTopic, click here.