ARTS OLYMPIAD  "Me in the New Millennium" is the theme of the next children's Arts Olympiad, organized by the International Child Art Foundation. Children from roughly 100 countries are expected to participate in the Olympiad, organized every four years by the ICAF. The event is open to students ages 8-12;teachers select one representative painting or drawing from their building, and winners will be featured at the Creativity & Imagination Olympics 2003 in Washington, D.C. Deadline for entries is Oct. 31, but early submissions are encouraged and will have a better chance of being featured in ChildArt magazine, in UNICEF'schildren's art calendars and on several related Web sites. The artwork submission form may be downloaded at www.icaf.org.

CIVIC ED  A new, comprehensive high school curriculum developed by Kids Voting USA aims to expand the definition of community service to include activities directly related to politics and the democratic process. "Destination Democracy" offers 41 lessons and activities that focus on meaningful civic involvement through voting, voter registration, working for political candidates, educating young children about the democratic process and addressing community issues. For more information, visit www.kidsvotingusa.org.

NGS GRANTS  The National Geographic Society Education Foundation is offering teacher grants of up to $5,000 to support a wide range of education activities. The grants are offered to individual teachers or teacher teams and support work in four areas: using new technologies, student experiential learning, providing professional development/mentoring, and family and community outreach. Application deadline is June 14. For details, or to apply online, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/foundation.

SCIENCE TOOLS  Lesson plans organized by age group and new, easy-to-navigate graphics are among the latest features in the updated "Get Smart About Energy" CD. The program was designed as part of the Department of Energy's EnergySmart Schools Program to help K-12 teachers integrate energy lessons into their science curriculum. It has more than 250 energy-related activities aligned with national science standards. To order copies, call 800/363-3732.

FORMULA LEARNING  The U.S. Army is teaming up with the National Hot Rod Association for the second consecutive year to sponsor the Youth and Education Services (YES) Program, which uses the science behind racing to bring classroom concepts in math and science to life for high school students nationwide. This year, the YES program will reach tens of thousands of students in about 20 cities including metro areas of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, St. Louis, Chicago and New York. Students can visit the U.S. Army racing team and champion driver Tony "The Sarge" Schumacker at the track to learn the scientific underpinnings of racing. For a schedule of events and details about the YES initiative, visit www.goarmy.com.