VOLUNTEER HONORS Students who are making a difference through public service could win prizes of up to $10,000 through the Angel Soft Angels in Action awards program. Three children in the contest’s 8-10, 11-15 and 16-18 age brackets will each receive grand prizes of $10,000 and be honored at a special awards ceremony at Walt Disney World. Fifteen runners-up will each receive $1,000. Anyone who is at least 18 years old may nominate a student by visiting www.angelsoft.com  and writing a short essay of 200 words or fewer detailing their accomplishments. The deadline for nominations is Aug. 15. Finalists will be notified in October.

AMERICAN CONCEPTS Eleventh-graders are invited to enter the 2005 Idea of America Essay Contest, which encourages students to think and write analytically about significant events and individuals in American History. The contest, part of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “We the People” project, offers a first-place prize of $5,000 and $1,000 prizes to five runners-up. In this year’s essays, students will examine totalitarian governments and explain how their underpinnings differ from the ideals that unite Americans. Entries should be approximately 1,200 words and can be submitted online. The deadline for entries is April 15. For contest details visit www.wethepeople.gov/essay.

LEATHERBACK PLIGHT “The Last Journey for the Leatherback?” is a film spotlighting the threat that industrial fishing (particularly the practice of longline fishing) poses to the world’s largest sea turtle. The film, which is told through interviews with leading marine scientists and is appropriate for ages 12 and up, is available for free to teachers and to nonprofit education organizations. For details, visit the Sea Turtle Restoration Project online at www.seaturtles.org. The site also offers a variety of educational materials, including newsletters, links to other organizations and recommended reading lists.

TSUNAMI MATERIALS Teachers and students can understand the science behind the tsunami tragedy by visiting the 4empowerment Web site, located online at www.4empowerment.com. The organization has joined with the National Science Foundation and the University of Texas at Austin Institute of Geophysics to offer online activities that teach the science of tsunamis and other natural disasters. Included on the site are a tsunami slideshow presentation, student activities and handouts, a teachers’ overview and an “ask the scientist” forum that allows students to pose questions to leading researchers. The activities are appropriate for students in grades 9-12. Exercises include using wave energy, velocity and height to demonstrate tsunami characteristics.

TRAVEL AWARDS K-12 teachers and environmental educators can win a $1,000 scholarship to travel to the Amazon and work with scientists in one of the most diverse environments in the world. The Amazon Rainforest Workshop for Educators, to be conducted July 5-14, 2005, is a professional development opportunity that allows teachers to experience a one-quarter mile canopy walkway and visit the indigenous people who call the rainforest ecosystem their home. Academic credit is available. Three $1,000 scholarships will be selected. Deadline is March 8. The scholarship covers half of the land costs of $1,998. Look for the application form under the “grants” section at www.travel2learn.com.

THAT ONE TEACHER The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is currently accepting nominations for the 2005 Pre-College Educator Award. The award is given to teachers who encourage students to pursue careers in mathematics, science, technology and engineering. The winning teacher receives $1,000, and a brass and walnut plaque. Past winners have been lauded for developing a three-year engineering high school curriculum and for the use of innovative hands-on physics experiments in the classroom. The deadline for nominations is April 30. For additional information on the IEEE Pre-College Educator Award, or for instructions on how to submit a nomination, visit www.ieee.org/organizations/eab/EABAwards/awardprecollege-2004.htm.

SERIOUS FUN Students can have fun, and learn a little about some of today’s most pressing social issues in the process, by visiting the AFL-CIO online arcade. Hop to www.aflcio.org, select the “Family Fun and Resources” tab, and scroll down to the Arcade-Games section for some serious fun. Included are such challenges as “Bet the Farm” (reckless proposals for Social Security), “Build a Pill” (runaway prescription drug prices) and “Greed!” (a board game based on the AFL-CIO’s Executive Paywatch). Also featured are crossword challenges and, for younger surfers, online coloring books and puzzles.

WILLIAMSBURG SUMMER Space is rapidly filling up for the summer 2005 Williamsburg Teacher Institute sessions. The institute offers weeklong learning courses that immerse participants in early American history. A returning mentor teacher assists participants with developing lessons and other activities based on what they have learned. For a program brochure and application form, visit the Williamsburg Teacher Institute online at www.history.org/teach.

ONLINE PRIVACY The “Online Privacy: The Parents’ & Teachers Guide” is a free pdf brochure developed by Classroom Connect and TRUSTe, a nonprofit group dedicated to making the Internet safer for consumers. The guide, available at www.truste.org/pdf/Parents_Teachers_Online_Privacy_Guide.pdf, outlines some of the fundamental privacy rules for children, laws surrounding online privacy, privacy seal programs and much more. Also offered are sample agreements for parents, teachers and children about safe and appropriate use of the Internet.