Facebook votes pushing S.C. school closer to $500,000 national prize

September 1, 2010

SPARTANBURG, SC – September 1, 2010 – With only two days to go,the Spartanburg Charter School is one of only 20 public schools in thenation that stand to receive $500,000 each through a competitionsponsored by the Kohl’s department store chain.

The Kohl’s Cares for Kids contest allows users of Facebook to determinethe winning schools.  Spartanburg Charter School is currently ranked20th in the nation, and the contest ends at 12:59 a.m. Saturday EasternDaylight Time.  The school has attracted more than 83,000 Facebook votesand is the only South Carolina school in the top 100. 
 
“There are many great reasons to vote for Spartanburg Charter School,”said Clay Eaton, the Director of Special Programs for the South CarolinaPublic Charter School District.  “A local group of parents took an oldschool building that was built in the 1930s and refurbished it usingmuch of their own money to open a public charter school in 2009.
 
That alone is a wonderful story, but we must add the fact that theschool is doing great on standardized testing, making AYP in its firstyear.  Just as important, the school is supported by a truecross-section of Spartanburg in terms of parents, students and donors.
It is simply a wonderful public school.”

Facebook users are automatically given 20 votes to cast for schools inthe United States.  A total of five votes can be cast for a particularschool.  Here are the steps to vote for Spartanburg Charter School:

1.  Log in to Facebook.
2.  Search for Kohl’s from within Facebook.
3.  Select Kohl’s Cares for Kids.
4.  Search for Spartanburg Charter School from the Kohl’s Cares for Kids Facebook page.
5.  With the Spartanburg Charter School name selected, cast five votes for the school.

Spartanburg Charter School currently serves 300 students and would use the prize money to renovatethe second floor of the school to add more grades for next year. 

Clay Eaton
South Carolina Public Charter School District
803-734-8326
www.sccharter.org