The Progress-Index (Newspaper), VA Contact: Charlene Jones, Circulation Marketing Manager The Progress-Index 15 Franklin Street, Petersburg, VA 23803 Activity Summary: Community "Law Day" was intended to be a collaboration between the community, schools & the newspaper. The two 16-page supplements called "The Law" & "Action Against Violence" were distributed to 8,000 elementary & middle school students, both having a long shelf life. "Celebrate Your Freedom" essay contest was open to middle & high school students. Students were asked to write an essay completing the phrase "Celebrate Your Freedom" means... A full-page ad with the lawyers' signatures, the winning essays & their pictures, plus the ad from the major sponsor was published on May 1. "Law Day" was introduced to 35 schools, creating a partnership between the lawyers, schools and the Newspaper in Education program that can make a difference! Activity Narrative: The first annual "Law Day" celebration of the Newspaper in Education program of The Progress-Index newspaper in Petersburg, VA was designed in four different phases to introduce "Law Day" to our community. The first phase was to have a collaboration called "Sign on to Law Day". Many problems face our youth today and with the support of the community we can make a difference. Letters were sent to the lawyers in the area explaining "Law Day" while emphasizing the important role of the newspaper in the classrooms to expand awareness of our laws and justice system and their impact on our lives. For a cost of only $30.00 the lawyer would have his/her signature and name of firm or organization on the back page of two, 16- page supplements. Signatures would also be on the full-page ad on May 1. The $30.00 would go directly toward paying for the purchase of the two supplements that would be distributed to 8,000 students. A major sponsor was secured to cover the cost of the printing. That sponsor was a local law firm, who had their ad on the bottom of the full-page ad on May 1, plus their ad on half of the back page of the two, 16-page supplements. Their logo also appeared on three of the four series of ads introducing "Celebrate Your Freedom" that were printed each Monday during the month of April for the students to read while working on their essay and for our subscribers. The second phase included two, 16-page supplements that were distributed to 8,000 elementary and middle school students and their teachers. The first supplement was called "The Law" designed just for elementary students. "The Law" makes sense when they see how it works in their daily lives--at school, in the home, and on the street--and its lessons last when taught through favorite cartoon characters! Thought-provoking activities are easily adapted to different ability levels. Even the youngest student can have fun exploring such lofty concepts as liberty, justice, equality and fairness when they are presented in familiar situations drawn from popular culture. The second supplement called "Action Against Violence" was designed for middle school students and their teacher. This supplement addresses conflict before it becomes violent. It teaches children how to understand and control the anger within them. It reaches out kids through sports, cartoons and popular culture, presenting practical strategies that will help them deal positively and effectively with peer pressure, bullies and violence at home. The third phase was to sponsor a "Celebrate Your Freedom" essay contest. The contest was open to all middle and high school students. The students were asked to write an essay completing the phrase "Celebrate Your Freedom" means... A first, second and third place was awarded to three middle school students and three winners from the high schools. We received a tremendous response from the teachers and students. The winning essays and pictures of the students were published in the full-page ad on May 1. Students received a Law Day medallion medal, and a Law Day certificate. The final phase came on May 1. A full-page ad was printed on this day with the signatures of the lawyers, the winning essays and the students' pictures, plus the ad from our key sponsor at the bottom. Our first annual "Law Day" was huge success! We were able to introduce this important day to over 8,000 students in 35 schools in the Tri-Cities area, plus creating a partnership between the local lawyers, schools and the Newspaper in Education program, and finally informing our 19,500 subscribers about "Law Day" and how we can make a difference in "our" community! Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization