Contact: Linda Topoleski, 412-281-2345 Or: 4-H Organization Volunteer

ltopoleski@dymun.com Jacqueline Nunn, 706-795-2281

- UPDATE -

Madison County 4-H Club Members

Named as One of Eight Finalist Teams in National Science Competition Win Trip to Walt Disney World®

Students Develop Tornado Survival Kit Program Following 2004 Category F3 Storm

AUBURN, NY,—April 18, 2006—Bright ideas, solid research and teamwork won four students from the Madison County, GA, 4-H Club a berth as finalists in the Christopher Columbus Awards, a nationwide program that challenges middle-school students to explore opportunities for positive change in their communities. Eighth-graders Dylan Brooks, Steven Goldman, Samantha Wood and John Scott, and their coach, 4-H volunteer leader Jacqueline Nunn, had made it to the semifinals earlier this month and now are one of eight teams in the country to compete for the grand prize—the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community grant.

The Category F3 tornado that hit Madison County in September 2004, injuring people and destroying homes and other properties, it highlighted just how under-prepared residents are for catastrophes. Homes in the area are not built to withstand major storms and few areas have tornado warning sirens. Each of the team members was personally affected by that storm, either through the loss of their own home or the property of someone close to them.

Through research involving NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), a Georgia state climatologist, and FEMA and other websites, the students determined that properly preparing residents for potentially devastating storms, could go a long way in preventing injury and property loss. They developed a resident education program that includes tornado drill practice, designation of safe rooms in houses, understanding of weather warning signs, and a tornado survival kit that includes not just food, water and communications equipment, but protective footwear and identification bracelets. They plan to focus their education first on families in manufactured homes and with elderly and disabled residents.

A panel of community leaders, scientists and experts in science education judged this idea as one of the top eight entries in the U.S. Over 1,200 students and coaches participated nationwide.

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Team Wins a Trip to Walt Disney World®

The team wins an all-expense-paid trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort, where they will compete in the Christopher Columbus Awards' National Championship Week, May 28-June 2, 2006, plus a $200 grant to further develop their ideas.

Each member of two Gold Medal winning teams will receive a $2,000 U.S. Savings Bond and one team will receive the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant as seed money to help bring its idea to life in the community. The Grant winning team will receive support from the Christopher Columbus Awards staff and continued guidance from their coach and community leaders.

The finalists will also attend the Christopher Columbus Academy, a custom-designed educational program. Conducted by scientists, engineers and educators, the program reveals the science and technology behind the thrills and excitement of Epcot® and the Magic Kingdom.®

Positive Community Change

The Christopher Columbus Awards challenge teams of middle-school students to explore and discover opportunities for positive change in their communities using science and technology. The program is now in its tenth year and has attracted nearly 14,000 students from diverse backgrounds all across the U.S. The program is sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation (www.columbusfdn.org) with support from the National Science Foundation and it is endorsed by the National Middle School Association. Past winners have included a group of Native American girls who built a study hall out of straw on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, and a group of students from Pennsylvania who developed a video/motion sensor device for school buses that deters motorists from trying to pass illegally.

Strong Participation from Girls, Minorities

The program attracts many students who may not typically enter a science competition. More than half of the entrants are girls, and more than a fourth are from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, statistics that are higher than those of most science competitions. The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation believes the teamwork aspect and community focus draw a broader range of students to enter.

For more information, call 1-800-291-6020 or visit www.christophercolumbusawards.com.

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