"September 12 Initiative" Launches Dreams: Books and a Greater American Student Writers' Guild.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2001

An executive of Education World and the Business and Society Alliance today announced the inauguration of the Greater American Student Writers' Guild, the first of many dreams inspired by the act of a single class of New York students and a teacher who championed them in the wake of Sept 11.

The Greater American Student Writers' Guild is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering students to raise their voices in writing for the benefit of children in America and a better world for children in every nation. The instruments lifting their voices to print are books, real books, and many are already in writing.

The dream of a national guild, and one in every state, is the brainchild of the leader of "The Sept 12 Initiative", an umbrella group which is also his brainchild. But that leader, who is Vice President Gregory Hilbert of Education World, is quick to proclaim the lone New York classroom and teacher as the source of his inspiration and example to all those rallied to the Sept 12 Initiative, just as surely as New York firemen and other heroes inspired the students and teacher.

The acclaimed heroes and heroines are 50 students at Audrey Cohen College, moments from the World Trade Center site, and their professor, Deborah Gonzalez. Gonzalez championed their book, enlisting early support from the Business and Society Alliance, a New York-based non-profit group, and Education World's Hilbert.

"Armed with no more than a suggestion for achieving their purposes, these students and their teacher have already in effect exceeded their goals," said Hilbert. "Their goal was to honor each of Sept 11's many thousands of heroes, help each of their families, and obtain donation of one copy of their book to New York schools for every hero lost. They're achieving that, I assure you," he said, "and look what they bring in train already, almost two months in advance of their ceremony!"

New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will accept proceeds from the book's sale on behalf of the families of victims at an Audrey Cohen College ceremony in December. Citicorp Foreign Exchange is among those who lent early encouragement, in a heartbeat.

The book-writing class that "thought it could" is bringing a train of schools and student-written books in tow. Examples of early emulators of the Audrey Cohen project from around the country will be honored at the ceremony. Among them will be multiple books from children-to-children writing advocate and teacher Suzanne Moilanen of Texas. She is compiling children-to-children reflections on heroism from children across the country. Another book is forthcoming from Kol Haverim of Glastonbury Connecticut, with students in tow of their families. One already published is Silent Voices, an Iowa high school's writing project bearing reflections on values, tolerance and courage pertinent to the events of September 11. That book was shepherded by teacher Ryan Berg. Berg is now the namesake of the Sept 12 Initiative's metaphorical appeal for courage and action to the benefit of children, "Calling All Private Ryans". Another book hails from Chicago, where teacher Yvonne Swain mentors writing that connects her students to students in Kenya. One is said to be brewing at Andrews Air Force Base, others at Yale and SUNY. Scores more are known to be forthcoming from K-12 schools in half of the states of the U.S.

Hilbert anticipates all 50 states and will be represented by Dec 12, the third-month anniversary of September 12. At press time he announced alliance with Sister Schools of San Diego (SSSD), which declared San Diego a Guild City in resonance to the Sept 12 Initiative and national Guild inauguration. SSSD is a partner of a distinct non-profit entity with a complementary mission. It sponsors writing projects serving 14 cities worldwide.

Since their inception just weeks ago, the Sept 12 Initiative and its goal of national and state Guilds for millions of student writers have rapidly gained support and participants across the country, and, said Michelle Green, the interest of national leaders. Green is an executive in Wisconsin who was among the first of business acquaintances responding to Hilbert's appeal for help on behalf of Audrey Cohen College. She has since become the principal collaborator bridging Hilbert's efforts to the non-profit sector beyond the schools his company serves, and has served without compensation as a citizen volunteer.

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Green noted that even prior to today's first public announcement, there were Initiative and Guild champions in 10 states from CA to NY representing K through12 and undergraduate institutions, and multiple champions in several states. Its leaders say the Greater American Student Writers' Guild will pursue grant funding for the enduring benefit of the schools and students they serve, and will help others organize Guilds for their state or school district. Many of the same educators leading book projects are serving as unpaid "musterers" or figureheads in those efforts. Green says all educators are welcome to "help raise the flag" in their district or state.

The September 12 Initiative is now a collective umbrella sponsored by Education World, with many better-world goals emerging that may be served by student-written books. Education World is donating a website feature to serve the Sept 12 Initiative, which will appear in days at www.educationworld.com. It plans to confer Sept 12 awards to student-written books and teachers who express courage, compassion and heroism reflecting our nation's resolute and enlightened answer to September 11. Hilbert and colleague Forrest Stone will announce the first of these at the Audrey Cohen College ceremony.

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Following is the text of the dedication appearing in the Audrey Cohen College book, and to be read to Mayor Giuliani and others gathered at the December ceremony.

These wonderful students at Audrey Cohen College were studying the historical figures you'll find in this book and writing a "resume" for each. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, interrupted this innovative educational exercise, but true to the deeper goals of education, these students determined to press on, channeling their grief and need to help others into the dedication of this book and all its proceeds to the benefit of the families of those lost, now historical figures all. By this act these students say, in effect, that those who are gone are cherished and will not be forgotten. By this act these students pray that the children of those lost will grow wise and healthy and prosperous, benefiting fully from the education that in America is their birthright. For education is ultimately our best defense against all that's wrong in this world, and our best hope for the blossoming of all that's right.

--Gregory Hilbert and Forrest Stone, Education World

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Hilbert said that during the initial weeks after Sept 11 he was "one big crying heartstring" played and playing throughout the night as he worked exhausted at his home-office PC. There he read and wrote messages to teachers and others who sought his help, or whose help he sought on their behalf. "But", he said, "just when I thought I couldn't go on or couldn't problem-solve for a needed resource, some lone individual would drop a miracle into my PC, keeping the dream alive and increasingly viable. Today I do believe I'm one of the happiest people on earth, for finding so many heroes and heroines out there, and seeing the innocent heroism of children reflected in them. These teachers and mothers and leaders do what firemen and children do. They don't on-look for not knowing all there is to know. They respond to the child who needs their help, for knowing at that moment nothing else matters."

"How could anyone NOT want to run further and faster when it's with people drawn to champion books writ by children for the ages? They bring out your best, and call you a hero just for doing your duty," said Hilbert. "Look," he said, pointing to a thick stack of paper and its diskette equivalent, "I already have a complete book compiled from my own experience of Sept 12, for donation on behalf of Sept 12. It's comprised largely of brief anecdotes revealing the courage of just SOME of the people who made this dream achievable."

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The Sept 12 Initiative provides a 6-page resource document for the use of participants wishing to enlist other participants and support. It is a metaphorical appeal -- to courage and action for the benefit of children -- entitled "Calling All Private Ryans". It is available on request if not accompanying this release.

About Education World

Education World is a service subsidiary of EDmin Inc of San Diego, a leading provider of Internet-based solutions to improve learning. Education World operates a website used by over one million educators monthly. It was founded in 1995 and is known as "the Educator's Best Friend" as it provides a daily review of a recommended education web sites, current, original content such as lesson plans, interviews, education news, editorial cartoons, and opinion columns, and a wealth of resources such as a career center, message boards, links to national standards, and free e-newsletters on specific topics of interest to educators.