OMG Girlz Recognize Stony Point High School as National Champion in Get Schooled Attendance Challenge with a 5.06% Attendance Gain

ROUND ROCK, Texas, May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 2,200 students at Stony Point High School celebrated their 5.06% increase in student attendance yesterday.  The Atlanta-based OMG Girlz recognized the school as the national champion in the Get Schooled Foundation's National Attendance Challenge by serving as Celebrity Principals for the Day and hosting a school-wide celebration event. 

Get Schooled's National Attendance Challenge was a friendly competition across more than 200 middle and high schools around the country in a campaign to improve student attendance.   Get Schooled has focused on attendance as a critical metric in school and student performance because it is one of the best predictors of high school graduation rates and college readiness rates.  Despite its importance, a Johns Hopkins student released in 2012 estimates that 7.5 million students in the United States miss a month or more of school, putting them at risk for failing to learn key skills and potentially dropping out of high school. 

Austin's E3 Alliance partnered with Get Schooled to recruit and support 33 Central Texas middle and high schools in the Challenge as a regional effort to boost school attendance and ultimately student achievement.  The average school in the challenge boosted attendance 2.53% and Stony Point posted a 5.06% gain earning them the title of national champions.  The challenge also had a transformative effect on Stony Point High School.  The high school, one of the largest high schools in the challenge, came together and not only posted huge attendance gains but also boosted student engagement.  More than half the student body was active in the challenge.    

"We are very proud of the hard work the Stony Point High School staff, faculty and especially the students did to earn this victory," said E3 Alliance president & executive director Susan Dawson.  "The Challenge is a great first step in our overall campaign to increase awareness about student attendance across Central Texas through our Missing School Matters campaign."

The OMG Girlz is made up of three high school students:  Star, Beauty and Baby Doll.  Formed by Tameka "Tiny" Harris, formerly of the multi-platinum girl group, Xscape, the OMG GIRLZ released their hit song "GUCCI THIS (GUCCI THAT)" in 2011 and it quickly became an instant hit on the Top 10 list of BET's 106 & Park. As celebrity principals for a day, they connected with students in their classrooms and hosted a school-wide rally as part of the celebration of the students' accomplishments.

"Stony Point High School, the E3 Alliance and the entire Austin community demonstrate what is possible when communities come together and focus on a critical predictor of student success," said Marie Groark, Executive Director of the Get Schooled Foundation.   "The amazing effort put forth by thousands of community leaders, students and teachers is an example for the rest of the nation."

More than 10,000 students across the country have earned a stop on the Get Schooled Victory Tour.   As part of the Victory Tour, celebrities serve as "Get Schooled Celebrity Principals for the Day" at the school.   Past Get Schooled Celebrity Principals for the Day have included Nicki Minaj, Ne-Yo, Bella Thorne, Rocsi and Big Sean. 

"We are so excited to be part of the Get Schooled Victory Tour and to help motivate and energize the students at Stony Point, and all over the country, to get to school every day," said the OMG Girlz during their visit to Stony Point.  "We congratulate the Stony Point students for the big boost in their attendance rates!"

Incite Social Impact Marketing collaborated with E3 Alliance and Get Schooled to implement the Challenge in Central Texas. Incite is associated with the Emmis Austin Radio, featuring stations 93.3 KGSR, News Radio KLBJ 590 AM & 99.7 FM, 93.7 KLBJ FM, 101X, Comedy 102.7, 103.5 Bob FM and 107.1 La Zeta.

To see a full list of schools that participated in the Fall Attendance Challenge along with their final scores, go to www.getschooled.com. To see a photo album of the challenge in action in participating schools go to www.facebook.com/getschooled.  To learn more about the E3 Alliance Missing School Matters Campaign, visit www.missingschoolmatters.org. Visit Incite Social Impact at inciteimpact.com

About Get Schooled

Get Schooled is a non-profit organization that directly engages and motivates students to graduate from high school and succeed in college.   Get Schooled is the premiere education brand for young people - linking students with high quality, cutting edge resources and tools they need to succeed.  Get Schooled has developed a track record of success because it engages with young Americans using the media, technology and popular culture that is an integral part of their lives. Get Schooled's work is boosted by partners like Viacom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  In its first two years, Get Schooled has engaged more than 2.5 million young Americans and has built a network of more than 325 middle and high schools.

About E3 Alliance              

E3 Alliance is a regional, data-driven education collaborative based in Austin, Texas. We are building the strongest educational pipeline in the country to drive regional economic prosperity. Founded in 2006, E3 Alliance acts as a catalyst for change, working to break-down barriers and build better alignment across the education continuum. Our name tells our story: Education Equals Economics. We believe that only through greater educational achievement for current and future generations of children, can Central Texas realize economic prosperity and a high quality of life for our community. Such achievement requires systemic change from cradle to career, and that is our commitment to our community.

SOURCE Get Schooled