For sharing online how they enjoy exercising their First Amendment
rights and joining in a national celebration of the First
Amendment, 22 students from coast to coast will each receive $5,000
scholarships to continue their high school or college education.
Their entries were judged the best from a cascade of more than
17,000 tweets and messages sent on Dec. 15, 2011, the 220th
anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, as part of
"Free to Tweet." Thousands of Americans participated in the public
awareness campaign -- organized by 1 for All and funded by the John
S. and James L. Knight Foundation -- recognizing First Amendment
freedoms and putting a largely overlooked holiday back in the
public eye.
"'Free to Tweet' was an extraordinary success, tapping the
creativity and insights of students nationwide, while giving
teachers tools to help them share the First Amendment with a new
generation," said Ken Paulson, founder of 1 for All and president
of the First Amendment Center and American Society of News Editors,
organizations that organized and promoted "Free to Tweet."
Students from ages 14 to 22 were eligible to receive $5,000
scholarships -- $110,000 in total. The winners hail from 15 states,
including Nicholas Creegan, of White Plains, N.Y. who won with his
tweet: "Silence might be golden, but silence never got much done in
a democracy. Speak now or don't complain later. #FreeToTweet"
Each winning message can be seen at 1forall.us/winners. @1forAll
will tweet one an hour on March 16, the 261st birthday of Bill of
Rights author James Madison.
"Free to Tweet" built on the findings of the Knight Foundation
study, "Future of the First Amendment," which looked at the role
social media plays in shaping young people's sense of First
Amendment principles. It found that as social media use grows among
teens, so does appreciation for the First Amendment.
"We were energized to see so many young people contributing to a
national conversation on how we interpret and appreciate our First
Amendment freedoms in the digital age," said Michael Maness, vice
president of journalism and media innovation for Knight Foundation,
which funded the campaign and scholarship contest. "We hope that
tweeting about their First Amendment views leads to a life time of
support for our essential freedoms."
In conjunction with "Free to Tweet," 1 for All and the Knight
Foundation published Social Media, the Classroom and the First
Amendment, a classroom guide for teachers that explores how social
media shape young people's sense of these freedoms and suggests
ways to incorporate digital tools into instruction on the
topic.
Until Dec. 15, 2011, Bill of Rights Day had gone largely
unrecognized and forgotten. Proclaiming the date a national holiday
in late November of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared
that Americans "will not, under any threat...surrender the
guarantee of liberty our forefathers framed for us in our Bill of
Rights." Just days later, Pearl Harbor was attacked, the United
States entered World War II and the proclamation was largely
forgotten.
Although students had the extra incentive of $5,000 scholarships
to participate in "Free to Tweet," thousands of other Americans
nationwide reversed decades of inattention to this important
holiday with their messages of support.
"Free to Tweet" scholarship entries were judged by a panel of
First Amendment and journalism experts who support 1 for All, an
unprecedented educational and public service campaign that builds
understanding of the First Amendment and its five distinct
freedoms: speech, press, religion, assembly and petition.
For more information on the ongoing 1 for All campaign, to join
its mailing list, or learn more about upcoming programs, visit
www.1forall.us.
The full list of winners, including their age and school at the
time of the competition, is as follows:
Zach Alvarez, 19 of Chicago, Ill., and student at Wilbur Wright
College Marianne Brown, 18 of Arlington, Texas, and student at
Arlington High School Nicholas Creegan, 20 of White Plains, N.Y.,
and student at University at Albany Brian DeConinck, 22 of Raleigh,
N.C., and student at Northwestern University Marie French, 20 of
Springfield, Va., and student at University of Missouri at Columbia
Jessi Glueck, 16 of Leawood, Kan., and student at Blue Valley North
High School Andrew Grojean, 21 of Blue Springs, Mo., and student at
Truman State University Katrina Hess, 17 of West Haven, Utah, and
student at Roy High School Abigail Hoffman, 18 of Marina, Calif.,
and student at University of California, Berkeley Tierra Jasmyne
Hull, 16 of Alexandria, Va., and student at Hayfield Secondary
School Ja'Mal Terron Lewis, 21 of Atlanta, Ga., and student at
Morehouse College Meghan Pearce, 18 of Westerville, Ohio, and
student at Westerville North High School Nico Perrino, 21 of
Elmhurst, Ill., and student at Indiana University Azur Priode, 17
of Knoxville, Tenn., and student at Bearden High School Mackenzie
Robert, 19 of Bedford, N.H., and student at Belmont University
Molly Roberts, 16 of Ventura, Calif., and student at Foothill
Technology High School Jonmichael Samsel, 17 of Morristown, Tenn.,
and student at Morristown Hamblen High School East Miracle Stewart,
16 of Louisville, Ky., and student at DuPont Manual High School Ely
Sussman, 19 of New Rochelle, N.Y., and student at University of
Miami Aysen Tan, 15 of Ventura, Calif., and student at Foothill
Technology High School Kenny Tan, 18 of Brooklyn, N.Y., and student
at Vanderbilt University Jenna Williams, 17 of Yardley, Pa., and
student at Pennsbury High School
About 1 for All 1 for All is a
non-partisan, educational campaign that was launched in 2010 to
address a general lack of awareness by the American public about
the five freedoms afforded by the First Amendment. Initial support
for campaign was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation, Newseum, McCormick Foundation, American Society of News
Editors, First Amendment Center and Gannett Foundation. In
addition, more than 1,000 news organizations, religious groups and
educational institutions have devoted their time and resources in
support of the 1 for All campaign.
About the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas
that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage
communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that
democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and
engaged. More information at knightfoundation.org.
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Media Contact: Nate West Seigenthaler Public Relations
(615) 327-7999 nwest@seigenthaler.com