Kids: 'Why Should Your Parent Be President?'

Kids asking Chelsea about Hillary? I kid you not. — LD

Scholastic Kid Reporters to interview
children of presidential candidates

NEW YORK -- Today, one year from Election Day 2008, Scholastic News(R), America's leading news source for kids, announced the 84 members of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps (listed below), a team of student reporters ages 10-14, who are covering the race to the White House from their hometowns across the country. The students'articles and interviews will appear on the Scholastic News Election 2008 Web site http://www.scholastic.com/election2008, complementing the robust in-print election coverage in classroom magazines Scholastic News(R) (for students in grades 1- 6) and Junior Scholastic(R) (grades 6-8).

Wearing red polo shirts and armed with their microphones and trusty notebooks, Scholastic Kid Reporters will interview presidential candidates and political experts throughout the election year and will cover the debates, caucuses and primaries in key states including Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, California and Florida. They will also report on the Democratic and Republican Conventions, Election Day and the presidential inauguration.

For their first major assignment, Scholastic Kid Reporters will interview the children of presidential candidates and find out why they think their dad- or mom-should be the next President of the United States.

"In addition to reporting from Scholastic's award-winning team of editors, the Scholastic Kids Press Corps will offer a first-person, youthful perspective to help raise students' interest in politics, current events and the electoral process. Our hope is that our readers - tomorrow's voters - will gain a deeper understanding of the world around them and will become engaged, well-informed citizens," said Rebecca Bondor, Editor in Chief, Scholastic Classroom Magazines. "Congratulations to our newest Kid Reporters and good luck on the campaign trail."

Parents, teachers and students can also look for occasional appearances by the Scholastic Kids Press Corps on NBC News programs and at MSNBC.com as part of a partnership between Scholastic News and NBC News to report on the 2008 Presidential Election.

To apply to the Scholastic Kids Press Corps Program, students were asked to submit a writing sample and to describe their interest in journalism and in the election. Besides their valuable on-site reporting experience, Scholastic Kid Reporters receive training in the principles of journalism and are put through a rigorous editing process by Scholastic News Online Editor Suzanne Freeman.

The Scholastic Kids Press Corps for 2007-2008 (Some of these reporters also covered the 2004 election, as indicated by *.)

Iowa:
Madeline Bowman, Davenport, IA
Adam Dada, Davenport, IA
Michal Porubcin, Davenport, IA
Lolly Talleen, Davenport, IA
Sydney Rieckhoff, Cedar Rapids, IA
Michael, Geheren, Huntley, IA
*London Ball, Des Moines, IA
Autumn Daniel, Des Moines, IA
Ronny DeMoss, Des Moines, IA
Devin Harter, Des Moines, IA
Marilyn Lo, Des Moines, IA
Coltin Martin, Des Moines, IA
Remy Nanthanorath, Des Moines, IA
Hailey Rice, Des Moines, IA
Austin Zanatta, Des Moines, IA

New Hampshire:
Molly Henry, Concord, NH
Hana Knowles, Concord, NH
Robert Law, Concord, NH
Victoria Pendak, Concord, NH
*Molly Wienberg, Concord, NH
*Chloe Conway, Manchester, NH
*Elizabeth Conway, Manchester, NH

South Carolina:
*John Dixon, Columbia, SC

California:
*Gabriella Casteneda, Sacramento, CA
Rachel Tucker, Culver City, CA
Allison Tam, Cupertino, CA
Abi Robinson, Dixon, CA
Mariam El Hasan, Laguna Niguel, CA
Katie Lyness, Pleasanton, CA
Eileen Iniguez, Sylmar, CA

Florida:
Jimmy Pitenis, Daytona Beach, FL
Charlotte Samson, Clearwater, FL
Shelby Fallin, Lakeland, FL
Juliette Johnson, Margate, FL
Michael Riordan, Panama City, FL
Jacqueline Parker, Tampa, FL


New York:
Alexandria Coffey, Sleepy Hollow, NY
Sean Coffey, Sleepy Hollow, NY
Samantha Group, New York, NY
Emma Hulbregste, New York, NY
Juliette Kessler, New York, NY
Jamie Sanders, New York, NY
Emmet Smith, New York, NY
Ethan White, Lewiston, NY
Shannon Kaupp, Pittsford, NY
Joe McIntyre, Randolph, NY
Jacqueline Minogue, Southhampton, NY
Michael Carboni, West Islip, NY

Kid Reporters from other states include:
Mackenzie Korbus, Colorado Springs, CO
Ashlyn Stewart, Salida, CO
Jack Greenberg, West Haven, CT
Gabrielle Aiardo, Orange CT
Cassie Madigan, Orange CT
Caitlin Wardlow, Stratford, CT
Gabbyliz Machado, Chicago, IL
Rudy Marschke, Chicago, IL
Joe Wlos, Chicago, IL
Allie Sakowicz, Park Ridge, IL
Carly Rodgers, Alexandria, LA
Taylor Keaton, White Plains, MD
Maeve Hammond, Battle Creek, MI
Kayla Gough, Canton, MI
Addie Backhus, Minneapolis, MN
Daysha Patterson, St. Paul, MN
Demarian Williams, Steele, MO
Jacob Schroeder, Albuquerque, NM
Matthew Smith, Collingswood, NJ
Kajal A. Jani, Fair Lawn, NJ
Danielle Azzolina, Lincroft, NJ
Hayley Livingston, South Orange, NJ
Jacob Wiseneck, West Orange, NJ
Kyle Nowak, Las Vegas, NV
Shelby Payne, Cushing, OK
Grace Choi, Portland, OR
Tess Foriesteri, New Tripoli, PA
John Foran, Philadelphia, PA
Aaron Broder, Memphis, TN
Michelle Sheena, Houston, TX
Lya Ferrerya, Fairfax, VA
Blake Murphy, Fairfax Station, VA
Danny Murphy, Fairfax Station, VA
Michael Murphy, Fairfax Station, VA
Madison Hartke-Weber, Washington, DC

About Scholastic Classroom Magazines
Scholastic is the largest publisher of educational magazines with 32 publications for grades PreK-12, reaching over 25 million students and teachers across the country. Teachers rely on these publications to enhance instruction in such subjects as science, reading and language arts, math, social studies, current events, history, geography, world languages, and art. Scholastic News Online (http://www.scholastic.com/news), the magazines' online companion, gives teachers, students and parents an additional resource with which to learn about and discuss current events in the classroom and at home.

About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (Nasdaq: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school- based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, http://www.scholastic.com.

SOURCE: Scholastic Corporation