(Press Release)

Washington, D.C. - Donna Bownds, a teacher at Clear Creek Elementary School on the Fort Hood Army base, will be honored with a prestigious Cable’s Leaders in Learning Award for creating and implementing innovative ways to educate students and for making a substantial contribution to learning her community.

As one of four winners nationwide in the Cable Partnerships for Learning category, Bownds is being recognized for partnering with Time Warner Cable to implement “Take a Vet to School Day.” Local veterans visited the school and shared stories about their service, while linking their work in the military and in their current jobs with the learning that is occurring in the classroom.

This was a part of a national initiative by The History Channel. The project aims to strengthen ties in the community, bring history to life in classrooms and recognize the contributions of local veterans and their families who must deal with issues associated with deployment.

Bownds was chosen as one of the 14 national winners selected from a pool of 44 finalist applications.

“I am honored to have been chosen as a Leaders in Learning Award winner. The Take a Veteran to School Day initiative means a lot
to me because I am an Army veteran, and I teach on a military installation where I see first-hand the continual sacrifices and dedication of our servicemen and women, both past and present,” said Bownds.

Time Warner Cable and Cable in the Classroom, the cable industry’s education foundation, present the awards annually in order to recognize outstanding educators, administrators and other community leaders at the forefront of innovation in education.

“This year’s winners have exhibited an impressive ability to expand the
classroom and educational opportunities for students around the country and the world,” said Doug Levin, senior education policy director for Cable in the Classroom. “Cable in the Classroom and the entire cable industry are inspired and honored to be supporting these educators and community leaders as they work to provide a first-class education.”

Bownds and the other Cable’s Leaders in Learning Award honorees will be in Washington, D.C., June 16-19, to attend a gala awards ceremony, learn from fellow awardees and meet with members of Congress and cable and education leaders. Honorees receive $3,000 from Cable in the Classroom, in addition to the four-day trip to Washington, D.C.

“We congratulate Bownds for being named as a Cable’s Leaders in Learning Award honoree and for her extraordinary contribution to education in our community,” said Stacy Schmitt, vice president of Public Affairs for Time Warner Cable. “We are strong believers in supporting the communities we live and work in. Along with Cable in Classroom, Time Warner Cable is honored to recognize those who
are working to help students better understand our world through new and innovative programs.”

Cable’s Leaders in Learning Awards honorees are chosen in four categories:

General Excellence – for leaders who have demonstrated excellence in
expanding and enhancing learning opportunities by employing a diversity of traditional and non-traditional approaches to producing measurable improvements in education outcomes in formal or informal settings.

Media Literacy Education – awarded in partnership with the National PTA to a leader who has advanced the teaching and learning of media literacy concepts and skills to children and youth. Media literacy is defined as the ability to access, understand, analyze, evaluate and create media messages on television, the Internet and other outlets.

Cable Partnerships for Learning – for leaders who are working in partnership with the cable industry to expand and enhance learning opportunities for children and youth in or out of the classroom.

Pushing the Envelope – for leaders who push the envelope and/or redefine the education frontier through the use of cable technology and/or cable content.

During the evening of Wednesday, June 18, members of Congress, education and cable industry leaders will attend a gala event at the Library of Congress, including a formal awards ceremony honoring the winners.