March is Newspapers in Education Month! The Bangor Daily News joins more than 950 newspapers in a nationwide celebration of NIE. NIE strives to enrich young minds by providing students with a newspaper and empowering teachers with appropriate curriculum materials to use the newspaper as a supplemental tool.

Activities include NIE March Wednesdays, World of Wonder!, the NIE Student Supplement, Saturday Scavenger Challenge, the Maine State Spelling Bee and the NIE Online Auction for Education, March 6-23.

The newspaper is a “living textbook” that helps to teach concepts and skills in multiple subject areas for all grade levels. Our monthlong celebration is jam-packed with fun and learning! Newspapers inspire critical thought, emotion and opinion at all ages and NIE Month provides students the outlet to present these inspirations through various works that they have submitted.

NIE March Wednesdays

NIE asked students in kindergarten, first and second grades, “If you could have any animal in the world as a pet, real or imagined, what would it be?” Every Wednesday, we will spotlight the talents of the K-2 pupils by publishing selected drawings. All of the entries were fabulous! We appreciate the efforts made by more than 1,000 students who participated in our drawing project celebrating NIE Month.

The Bangor Daily News also will publish a variety of NIE Classroom Activities every Wednesday for grades K-12.

World of Wonder!

Every Wednesday, teachers will have the opportunity to sample our newest NIE educational feature page, World of Wonder! WOW explores the realms of history, science, nature and technology through short lessons on well-researched and beautifully illustrated topics.

Teacher Guides with standards-based activities and a list of upcoming topics are available on the NIE Web site. Four out of the five Wednesdays will feature primates. Classrooms will be allowed to “monkey around!”

NIE Student Supplement

On Wednesday, March 29, NIE will publish the annual supplement featuring the best of the best – written editorials and editorial cartoons submitted by students in grades seven through 12. The top two high school senior entries will receive a $1,000 college scholarship and eight runners-up receive a $500 scholarship.

New this year, grades three-six participated in an activity called “The Story Without an Ending.” Students were given a story starter and instructed to finish the story using their imaginations by telling us who, where, when, why and what happened next. This special section in the Bangor Daily News will feature the winning advertisements, selected by advertisers, for the “design an ad” program submitted by students in grades six through 12. The participating advertisers support the production of the supplement. We would not be able to publish the outstanding works submitted by students without their support.

Saturday Scavenger Challenge

Participating classrooms will use the Saturday, March 18, edition of the Bangor Daily News to answer a series of questions provided to them on a scavenger challenge sheet. Once completed, the sheets are returned to NIE and entered into a drawing for an NIE classroom party. The activity sharpens navigational skills while making students aware that the newspaper can be used as a tool to obtain information, as well as reading for pleasure.

Maine State Spelling Bee

The Bangor Daily News’ NIE program is proud to sponsor this annual academic event. The “road to the state bee” is a busy one for every sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade student in the state.

Leading up to the Maine State Bee are more than 1,000 classroom bees, more than 300 school bees, at least 48 district bees and 16 county bees. The 16 county spelling champions will represent their county and compete for the title of Maine State Spelling Bee Champion.

The state champ will represent Maine at the Scripps Howard National Bee in Washington, D.C. We are very honored to have Maine’s first lady, Karen Baldacci, as a guest this year at the State Bee. A true crusader for education, she will congratulate these 16 spelling champions for their academic achievement.

NIE Online Auction for Education, March 6-23

Join us for our first Online Auction for Education. Thanks to generous donations from businesses throughout our eight-county service area, we have a spectacular catalog of items to bid on. Among the dozens of items available are Mini-Maine getaways, super-deluxe getaways, sports memorabilia for the Red Sox and Patriots fans, massages, facials and haircuts, theater and dinner packages, furniture, party packages and even some exciting items and activities from our own Bangor Daily News celebrities. Net proceeds go directly to providing classroom newspapers. Bidding begins at 8 a.m. Monday, March 6.

The auction site can be accessed by clicking on the auction button on our home page, www.bangordailynews.com, or directly at http://bdnnie.cmarket.com

Sponsors – We couldn’t do it without you! Several advertisers support the production of the Student Supplement each year. Duke Energy and the Town of Veazie make it possible for every participating classroom to receive papers during NIE Month.

Hundreds of businesses and individuals support NIE with their donations for classroom newspapers throughout the entire school year. The teachers and students that participate in the NIE program appreciate the support from these businesses and individuals. Thank you!

For information on Newspapers in Education, contact Kimberly Whitmore at 990-8076.