Geography Awareness Week and Postcard Contest
November 15-21 is Geography Awareness Week. One activity you might consider for this week is participating in the annual GGA postcard contest. Artwork must incorporate the Geography Action! Theme “Mapping Europe”. Winning students will pick their own prize from shop.nationalgeographic.com. See the attached flyer for more information. For more ideas for Geography Awareness Week, go to GAofGeorgia.org and click on teacher resources or go to MyWonderfulWorld.org.

More Lesson Plans!
We have recently uploaded hundreds of lesson plans to our website that were created by teacher consultants of the GGA when it was directed by Dr. Truman Hartshorn. There are also numerous publications available that were created under Dr. Hartshorn’s leadership such as The Georgia Geography Guide: A Resource for Teachers, The Geography Resource Guide for Middle and High School, and Suggested Daily Classroom/School Activities for Geography Awareness Week. There are also publications with teaching ideas and lesson plans for past Geography Action themes. We would like to thank Dr. Hartshorn and all those who worked with him to create such valuable resources.

DC Summit
National Geographic Student Expeditions seeks teachers to participate in the first-annual DC Summit, a series of weeklong programs for middle school and high school students and their teachers in Washington, DC. Learn more at the National Geographic Student Expeditions: DC Summit website. Teachers interested in the spring 2010 DC Summit are invited to apply to attend the free, expenses-paid DC Summit Teacher-Leader Conference, October 23–25 in Washington, D.C. For more information and to fill out an online application, please click here. 

NCSS
Since NCSS is holding its Annual Conference in Atlanta this November, we will not be having a fall Geofest. Instead we are offering three scholarships for the Conference. The deadline for applications is October 1st. For more information, go to GAofGeorgia.org and click on GCSS.

Giant Map of Africa
The GGA and the KSU Department of Geography and Anthropology will be hosting National Geographic’s Giant Map of Africa during Black History Month from February 8th to February 18th. For more information or to make a reservation go to GAofGeorgia.org and click on Giant Maps.

Click here to learn more about scholarships for the NCSS Conference

For directions to KSU and a campus map, click here. The Geography Bowl will be held in Building 5 The Geofest will be held in Building 22. Park in either the West Deck or Visitor Parking (Lot A).

Thank you to all of you who participated in the postcard contest. The winners are listed below. If one of the winning students is in your class, please give them the attached form to fill out so that we can send them a check. First place winners will receive $50, second place winners will receive $30, and third place winners will receive $20.
In order to pay the winners, we need them to fill out this form. Completed forms can be faxed to 678-797-2443, emailed to Nicole@GAofGeorgia.org, or mailed to:
Georgia Geographic Alliance
KSU Geog. Dpt. MD 2203
1000 Chastain Rd.
Kennesaw, GA 30144

Elementary School
1st Place - Johnson Jin, Kindergarten, Mt. Bethel Christian Academy
2nd Place - Stephen Tyler, 5th Grade, Holy Spirit Prep School
3rd Place - John Radosta, 4th Grade, Holy Spirit Prep School

Middle School
1st Place - Birmel Guerrero, 8th Grade, Palmer Middle School
2nd Place - Savannah Hartley, 7th Grade, Wheeler County Middle School
3rd Place - Courtney Anderson, 6th Grade, Lost Mountain Middle School

High School
1st Place - Elizabeth Wakefield, 9th Grade, Peachtree Ridge High School
2nd Place - Casey Ussery, 10th Grade, Wheeler County High School
3rd Place - Lakena Meminger, 9th Grade, Wheeler County High School

We are currently working on the first edition of the GGA Newsletter, and we need submissions. If you would like to submit an article or see some ideas for submissions, click here.

The Georgia Geographic Alliance invites all Georgia students to participate in a postcard contest. This contest is designed to promote Geography Awareness by challenging all students to illustrate a postcard using this year’s theme,” Mapping the Americas”. Grand Prize – The first place winners for each division will compete for the grand prize of $100. For more information, click here.

We are honored to extend you an invitation to the Georgia Geographic Alliance 2009 Spring Geofest to be held Saturday, April 18 from 9AM to 3PM at Kennesaw State University. We will be offering one PLU for this event. The registration system will be on the website very soon. The deadline for presentation applications is January 9th. The deadline to register for the Geofest is February 6th. We will be offering one PLU for this event.

The GGA needs a brochure, so we are having a contest. The person who designs the best brochure will win $50. One possible template is attached to this post. Also, all the information you might need for the brochure is on our website. The brochure needs to be double sided, and it should describe what the GGA is and what we do. It also needs to give some kind of description of our events. The deadline for entries is February 2nd.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAPS: TOOLS FOR ADVENTURE AND
DR. ZAHI HAWASS AT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
The National Geographic Society has launched a number of initiatives in an attempt to improve geographical literacy. One approach involves a partnership with the country’s largest museum for children: The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Together, these two premier educational organizations created the traveling exhibition National Geographic MAPS: Tools for Adventure. Going to cities across North America and internationally with the goal of reaching an estimated four million visitors, the exhibition is currently scheduled to appear at only one venue in the Southeast: The Museum of Arts and Sciences. It will be open September 27, 2008 through January 11, 2009.

For more information, click on “Other Social Studies Opportunities”

Notify your lawmakers about the importance of geography education and post their response here for everyone to see.

Here are some of the ones that we have received:

Congressman David Scott

Dear Nicole :

Thank you for contracting me concerning geography education in U.S. schools. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.
I understand the critical role of understanding geography in an increasingly global economy. I was disappointed to learn from geography educators in my district that student performance on the social studies portion of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) did not improve at any grade level this year. Unfortunately, as with many other subjects, students in our district score anywhere between 8 and 10 points lower than students on average in the state on the social studies portion. We must improve geography education to equip students with skills that will prove valuable for them and our nation.
Thankfully, Rep. Chris Van Hollen introduced H.R. 1228, the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act. This bill would authorize $15 million in federal funding to improve student achievement in geography and increase teacher training for geography education. Funding would also leverage and expand upon public and private support for geography education partnerships. I am pleased to be a co-sponsor of this important initiative. Should this legislation come to the floor for debate or vote, I will be sure to advocate for its passage. In the meantime, I also encourage you to contact your state and local education officials and express your concerns to them as well.
Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. I hope you will continue to give me the benefit of your opinion in the future. Also , I encourage you to visit my website at http://davidscott.house.gov , where you can view the latest news and obtain information on issues and legislation that are important to you. You can also sign up for my electronic newsletter, and receive periodic updates on my activities as your representative in Washington . I thank you again for contacting me, and I look forward to continuing to serve you.

Sincerely,
David Scott
Member of Congress

Senator Saxby Chambliss

Dear Ms. Vallencourt :

Thank you for contacting me regarding geography education. It is good to hear from you.
President Bush’s landmark education bill, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110), set high standards for public education and educators. NCLB recognizes geography as a core academic subject. Geographic education is becoming even more important in our increasingly global economy as we keep our competitive edge and maintain our dominance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
As the husband and father of public school teachers, I am committed to improving public education and making sure our children and grandchildren get the best education experience possible. My votes in the United States Senate support higher standards, increased funding in the classroom, and more local control in public school systems. NCLB is set to expire at the end of fiscal year 2008 and must be reauthorized by Congress. As the Senate works through its reauthorization, I will keep your thoughts in mind.
If you would like to receive timely email alerts regarding the latest congressional actions and my weekly e-newsletter, please sign up via my website at: www.chambliss.senate.gov . Please let me know whenever I may be of assistance.

Phil Gingrey

Dear Nicole:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support of federal appropriations for geography education. As your Congressman, I appreciate hearing your thoughts and welcome every opportunity to be of service.

On February 26, 2009, President Obama transmitted to Congress the outline of his proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2010. The President’s budget request totaled approximately $3.6 trillion – or 27% of GDP – in federal spending, which includes all federal agencies and their related programs.

Please be mindful that during these challenging economic times, it will be imperative that we restore fiscal discipline by displaying restraint in government spending. In the coming weeks and months, Congress will consider this funding request in addition to thousands of others through the appropriations process, ultimately funding them through 12 individual appropriations bills. This request for additional funding for geography education will be considered in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill.

Although I am not a member of the Committee on Appropriations, I will keep your support for this funding in mind when this bill is considered by the full House of Representatives.

Again, thank you for sharing your concerns. If you feel that I may be of additional assistance on this, or any other matter of importance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. I also invite you to sign up for my weekly email newsletter, or to share your ideas and opinions, by visiting my website at http://gingrey.house.gov or emailing me atgingrey.ga@mail.house.gov.