AUBURN – Students, teachers and administrators at Fairview Elementary School are $25,000 richer after being named this week as a 2013 Champion in U.S. Cellular’s Calling All Communities campaign. The Auburn school was one of 20 nationwide that garnered the most community votes and the money to use as they wish to enhance their educational experience.
More than 37,000 votes were cast during the 2013 campaign. Of the winners, 14 are public schools and six are private schools.
Fairview is the first school in New England to have ever won. North Carolina topped the list this year with four winning schools. Iowa, Tennessee and Wisconsin tallied three winners. Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas and West Virginia had one winner apiece to round out the list of 2013 champions.
“I want to thank U.S. Cellular for its commitment to supporting K-12 education in Maine and across the nation. This is an example of a public-private partnership that is putting Maine students first,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “Fairview Elementary has invested a great deal of time and energy in rallying its teachers, parents and community supporters to compete for a share of this $500,000 for its students. Everyone should be proud of the work they have done to earn this recognition, and I know they will put their prize money to good use.”
Fairview Elementary School in Auburn teaches pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade. The school has 550 students and 67 faculty members. To win, the school posted information about U.S. Cellular’s Calling All Communities campaign on their Facebook page, reached out to family, friends and alumni of the school, utilized teachers at other Auburn-area schools, and put buttons on their students with the question, “Ask me how my school can win $25,000?”
“While the $25,000 will make a great impact on our students, the experience of bringing our community together is priceless,” said Celeste Beaudet, principal of Fairview Elementary School. “We have been able to show not only our students, but ourselves that we can accomplish anything together. We have all learned a valuable life lesson.”
“We congratulate all the schools who were able to rally their local communities to support their efforts,” said Matt Kasper, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in New England. “We can’t wait to hear about how all the schools plan to use the winnings they worked so hard to earn.”
Since the program began in 2008, U.S. Cellular has awarded $4.5 million to 76 schools across the country for them to use however they see fit to impact the education of students. For more information about U.S. Cellular and Calling All Communities and to see the complete list of this year’s winners, visit http://www.uscellular.com/about/community-outreach/calling-all-communities.html.