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http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110220/NEWS03/102200316/Delaware-schools-winning-visit-from-Beau-Biden?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CHome%7Cs

Delaware schools: A winning visit from Beau Biden

When Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden visited a class of second-graders at Marshall Elementary School near Newark on Thursday, he held up two winning entries from a T-shirt-design contest that creatively answered the challenge to show school pride.

"These are the kinds of messages we should have on our clothes," he told the children, including the two winning artists. "You guys got it right on the head. But even more important are the things you say and the way you treat others."

Biden's visit was one of the prizes in the contest, held each year as part of the Newspapers in Education's "Sign on to Literacy" program. The News Journal, which runs Newspapers in Education as an educational tool for Delaware classrooms, and the DuPont Co., the sponsoring partner, challenged students statewide in grades K-5 to design the T-shirts. They also asked students in grades 6-12 to write an essay on where they stand on downloading music.

The contest was focused this year on issues involving students and the U.S. Constitution, with the controversial subjects of downloading music and messages on clothing in schools both spotlighted recently in the news.

Contest prizes included gift certificates to a bookstore. But schools with first-place winners also were treated to a visit by Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden.

At Marshall elementary, second-grader Renee Robinson, who took first place in the design contest, was joined in her classroom by third-grader Rhys Levine, who took second place for his T-shirt design. Third-grader Maya Patel of Caravel Academy in Bear collected the third-place prize.

"I'm kind of excited," Renee said as she waited for Biden to arrive.

"Being the son of the vice president is a big honor having him come here," Rhys added.

Arriving to a greeting of "Good morning, Mr. Biden," the attorney general took a seat in front of the class and chatted with the students for almost an hour, much of that time taken by a lively question-and-answer session.

Biden told the class he has been visiting schools a lot the past five years, talking to an estimated 25,000 children about how to stay safe online. He said grade-school children often ask tougher questions than he hears at town hall meetings. And as if to reinforce that point, a girl at Marshall elementary rose to her feet.


Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com
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