Sylvan Learning Centers Donate $10,000 in Prizes for First-Ever Book Bonanza

September 22, 1999 -- Book Adventure http://www.bookadventure.org, a free online reading incentive program with over 60,000 registered users, challenges students to read more and understand more with the first-ever Book Bonanza reading contest. The Book Bonanza was designed to generate more enthusiasm about reading by adding to the arsenal of Book Adventure prizes used to reward students for their literary success.

At http://www.bookadventure.org, children (K-8) create personalized books lists from over 4,000 recommended titles, take quizzes on the books they've read at school or at home, and earn prizes for understanding the books they have read. Book Adventure is a non-profit initiative initially funded by the Sylvan Learning Foundation. It is designed to motivate students to read more often, for longer periods of time and with greater understanding. Currently, students can redeem points for prizes including gift certificates and engaging downloadable activities. Now students enrolled on the site are automatically entered into the fall Book Bonanza contest.

The first 207 students who get a perfect score on the most books at or above their grade will win the spectacular Book Bonanza prizes. Two grand-prize winners will be on their way to SPACE CAMP or Parent/Child SPACE CAMP. Five second-place winners will receive $1,000 gift certificates to Staples and 200 third-place winners will receive $100 U.S. Savings Bonds.

The contest, which runs through November 8th, is open to any Book Adventure reader in the U.S. or Canada who is registered on the website with a parent, teacher or guardian. Book Adventure and its contests adhere to the guidelines outlined by CARU and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

Winners of the Book Adventure Book Bonanza will be announced during National Children's Book Week in November 1999. For more information, please visit http://www.bookadventure.org or call Gretchen Fox at (202) 833-8121

New York-based Design School Ranked as the World's Best Online Education Program

NEW YORK, NY - July 19, 1999 -- Sessions.edu Online School of Design, a prestigious New York-based design school, has been ranked as the best online education program in an independent study conducted by a team of postgraduate students from The Open University in Britain.

After a months of detailed examination, the Open University unanimously agreed to award Sessions.edu the "Gold Medal" as an acknowledgement of the superior quality of its online design curriculum. Sessions.edu was stated to have "fulfilled nearly all" of their rigorous evaluation criteria, including quality of authorship, academic integrity, content, interactivity, educational philosophy and goals, and design and functionality of the site.

Sessions.edu President and CEO Morten Sohlberg says, "We are pleased to receive this recognition from The Open University. The award reflects our commitment to providing the best online design education available to our students."

To download images of students' design work, the founders of Sessions.edu go to <http://www.sessions.edu/download.html>.