NEW ULM — New Ulm Middle School has entered a $200,000 national education contest hoping for a chance at one of the 13 prizes that will be awarded to recognize the most unique and inventive K-12 program. In addition to completing an online application for the annual Follett Challenge, New Ulm Middle School also submitted a short video to promote its program that teaches students the 21st century skills they need to be prepared for life.

Ten of the prizes, valued at $8,000 each, to be given away are from the People’s Choice category and will solely be based on how many votes applicants have received for their videos from the public. Video voting begins Jan. 22. “Attitude of Gratitude” video is now posted on the Follett Challenge website (www.follettchallenge.com) at the following link: https://follettchallenge.uberflip.com/h/i/391696746-attitude-of-gratitude-at-new-ulm-middle-school

After registering, users can cast one vote per day through Jan. 26, when voting ends. Not only are the public’s votes significant in the video-voting portion of the contest, but they also will play a role in the overall rubric as twenty-percent of each school’s final score is based on the number of votes generated for their video.

“We hope our community will support us by viewing our video and voting for our submission,” said Vickie Tambornino, New Ulm Middle School Media specialist. “Participating in the Follett Challenge recognizes our educators for the great job they are doing with the resources they have and, should we win, reward them with resources to do more. It also will give our educators here a platform to share their innovation with other schools across the country and throughout the world.”

With a total prize value of $200,000 in products and services from Follett – a global education solutions company – the overall winner will earn a $60,000 prize, plus a celebration at the school, while each of the other two semi-finalists will earn $30,000 prizes. The 10 People’s Choice awards are worth $8,000 each in products and services and will be announced Feb. 28, along with the semi-finalists. This year’s Follett Challenge will honor semi-finalist winners in four categories: elementary, middle and high school.

The judges will be seeking applications that illustrate critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration between students and among teachers and other members of the school staff. Last year’s grand-prize winner was Chase County Elementary School in Chase County, Kansas. The 2018 grand-prize winner will be announced April 27.

For more on the Follett Challenge, visit www.follettchallenge.com.