Viacom and the Get Schooled Foundation Partner With the White House to Announce the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge

NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) and the Get Schooled Foundation are excited to be partnering with the White House again to support the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge.  The high-stakes contest encourages public high-school students to submit applications demonstrating how their high school best prepared them for college and career.  The winning submission is awarded the premier commencement speaker, President Obama. Schools can begin submitting applications for the Commencement Challenge today and applications are due by Friday, February 25th.

The Get Schooled Foundation partnered with the White House on the first Race to the Top Commencement Challenge in 2010.

Carl Folta, Viacom's Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications, said, "We are excited to partner with the White House again on this important initiative – one that takes a unique approach to getting our youth excited about education. This campaign does two very important things: it shines a spotlight on a national priority that is the core of our nation's future success and it makes setting and achieving educational goals appealing and tangible for students."  

The 2011 Challenge asks schools to submit essays, supporting data and an optional video to demonstrate their school's efforts to support post-graduation success. Last year, Viacom sent production teams from Viacom's media networks to assist each finalist in the creation of a short video that embodied how the school was helping achieve President Obama's goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.  These videos were posted on the White House website and the public voted on their favorite. The President made the final selection and the winning school was Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  The Get Schooled Foundation then worked with several students from Kalamazoo Central High to create video diaries, which chronicled the days leading up to the commencement and the entire celebration.

Marie Groark, the Executive Director of the Get Schooled Foundation, said, "Dramatically improving our nation's high school graduation and preparation rates is fundamental to America's future prosperity.  But we will not succeed unless we engage and motivate our young people and their families to join educators and policymakers in the effort to improve.  The Get Schooled Foundation is proud to partner with the White House on the Commencement Challenge.  We will use our unparalleled channels and platforms to encourage students and schools from across the country to participate in the Commencement Challenge." 

The Get Schooled Foundation was created in 2010 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Viacom and AT&T, and works to raise awareness about the significant challenges facing America's public education system.

About Get Schooled 

Get Schooled engages and empowers Americans to help improve high school graduation rates, improve college readiness and raise college completion rates.  It is the only consumer-facing education initiative that aims to complement and support the work of the broader education reform community by leveraging the creative talent, digital and media assets and resources of the country's top media and consumer brands to truly connect with Americans.  An independent non-profit organization, the Get Schooled Foundation's founders include Viacom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with significant support from AT&T.

In the fall of 2010, Get Schooled's National Challenge and Tour inspired 300,000 Americans to step up and make a commitment to improve education.  These Americans were inspired by celebrities like Ludacris, Carmelo Anthony, Keri Hilson, and Common, each of whom joined the Get Schooled movement and used their personal stories to inspire and stress the importance of education.  In addition to the National Challenge and Tour, Get Schooled initiatives include:  Get Schooled: You Have the Right Roadblock which aired on 23 Viacom channels and attracted almost 13 million viewers (Fall 2009), President Obama's Race To The Top Commencement Challenge (Spring 2010), New York Stock Exchange's Ring the Bell Contest (Spring 2010), Paramount Pictures' Waiting for "Superman" (2010/11), MTV's Get Schooled College Affordability Challenge (Fall 2010) and the Get MotivatED Challenge (2011). 

To find out more about Get Schooled or to become a partner, visit www.getschooled.com

About Viacom

Viacom is home to the world's premier entertainment brands.  Through its BET Networks, MTV Networks and Paramount Pictures divisions, Viacom connects with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms in more than 160 countries and territories.  With approximately 170 media networks reaching more than 600 million global subscribers, Viacom's leading brands include MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, BET, CENTRIC, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick at Nite, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV Land, Spike TV and Tr3s.  Paramount Pictures, America's oldest film studio and creator of many of the most beloved motion pictures, continues today as a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.  Viacom operates more than 500 branded digital media properties, including several of the world's most popular destinations for entertainment, community and casual online gaming.

For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com.

SOURCE Viacom