Grade six students and teachers travel to Calgary, Canada
as part of innovative learning program

Sixty students from across North America to meet in Calgary for
a week of learning and adventure

Calgary, AB --- May 8, 2002 --- On May 24, 2002, the Connections program will welcome grade six students and their teachers from ten North American schools to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Sixty students from Alberta, Florida, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Oklahoma, Ontario, Texas and Utah will gather for an exciting week of interpretive tours, activities and excursions. The trip celebrates the students' and teachers' two-year participation in the Connections program, offered through the SMARTer Kids Foundation of Canada. The Connections program equips upper elementary school classes with leading-edge technology, promotes collaborative projects between schools and culminates with teachers and selected students meeting for a fun-filled week in Calgary. The Connections program strives to foster, in each participating student, a greater sense of self-understanding and of connection to family, fellow students and the global community.

Participants in the Calgary Student Visit will enjoy many Alberta attractions, including the Calgary Tower, Banff National Park, the Sulphur Mountain Gondola, the Calgary Zoo, the Royal Tyrrell Museum (a paleontology museum) and the Calgary Police Canine Training Facility. Costs associated with the visit, including airfare, accommodation, meals, local transportation and admission to Connections-sponsored activities, are covered by the SMARTer Kids Foundation.

"We're excited to celebrate these students' participation in the Connections program," says Nancy Knowlton, executive director of the SMARTer Kids Foundation. "Some of these students have never traveled outside their own communities. Through the Connections program, they're able to explore a different part of the world and build friendships and memories that will last for years to come."

For more information about the Connections program, visit www.smarterkids.org/connections.

Connections Creed
The Connections Creed captures the values and ideals of this program:
In my life, I can stand alone without being lonely. I can reach out and feel connected to family, friends and teachers. I will surround myself with people who inspire me to be the best person I can be. I am connected to others in many ways, but what matters the most is what is within me and who I choose to be.

Participating schools
	Bells Elementary, Bells, Texas
	Blossom Park Public School, Gloucester, Ontario
	Bowcroft Elementary, Calgary, Alberta
	Del City Elementary, Del City, Oklahoma
	Grand Ridge School, Grand Ridge, Florida
	Helen M. Knight Intermediate School, Moab, Utah
	Lakefront Consolidated, Tangier, Nova Scotia
	Old Fort Elementary, Old Fort, North Carolina
	St. Mary's School, Carleton Place, Ontario
	Windsor Park Elementary, Calgary, Alberta

Product Donations
All Connections schools have received a SMART Board 580 interactive whiteboard, a Floor Stand 570 and an NEC VT440 projector. These products have been integrated with curriculum to support collaborative learning projects. The SMARTer Kids Foundation thanks SMART Technologies Inc. and NEC Solutions America, Visual Systems Division for these product donations and their ongoing support.

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Please note that SMART is in all capital letters.