North Carolina Schools Receive $31,000 in Grants from the Sprint Foundation

RALEIGH, N.C. - (Business Wire) Sprint (NYSE:S) recently announced the recipients for the Sprint Ahead for Education grant program. Sprint Ahead for Education is a brand-new program that supports innovative character-education initiatives through funding of K-12 public schools and school districts. A total of 19 school districts received up to $25,000 in grant funds, and 45 public schools received funding up to $5,000. In total, the Sprint Foundation awarded more than $607,000 in grant funding for this program.

Out of nearly 1,200 applicants, seven North Carolina schools were selected as 2008 Sprint Ahead for Education grant recipients. Schools that were awarded grant funding include:

• Summersill Elementary, Jacksonville, N.C., received a $5,000 grant to launch “On the PATHS To Good Character.” The program is designed to reduce instances of bullying and to help children choose effective strategies when dealing with frustration and/or anger.
• Pamlico County Primary School, New Bern, N.C., was awarded a $2,283 grant to implement “Paws for Good Character,” a school-wide character education intended to provide a positive school atmosphere that is conducive for all children to learn and demonstrate good citizenship.
• Woods Charter School, Chapel Hill, N.C., received a $4,800 grant to incorporate character education into the school’s curriculum through a program, “The Woods Way.” The program will incorporate important moral and ethical character traits to classroom lessons so that students recognize how character plays an important role in all subjects.
• Tyrell Elementary School, Columbia, N.C., was awarded $5,000 to implement a character education program through positive behavior support. The program is designed to create an environment in which teachers consistently promote positive behavior in their students, and the students are motivated, self-directed, and have a desire to succeed.
• Lakeside School-Juvenile Day Treatment Center, Wilmington, N.C., received a $5,000 grant to launch the “Building Us, Building Our Community” (BUBOC) program. The program will promote positive youth development through various activities such as community service and classroom instruction.
• Providence Spring Elementary, Waxhaw, N.C., was awarded a $5,000 grant to expand their current character education initiative through Socratic seminars. The grant money will be used to purchase new seminar texts for each grade level and to continue implementing monthly character seminars in each classroom.
• Glenn Elementary Schools, Durham, N.C., received a $4,706 grant to launch “Individuals Creating A Responsible Environment” (iCARE) program. iCARE uses a positive behavior system to educate students academically and socially.

“Sprint is committed to helping educators develop the right character education initiatives for their student population,” said Debby Ballard, director of Community Relations for Sprint. “The Sprint Ahead for Education program is a competitive program and the winning schools and districts should be extremely proud of their accomplishments. The program allows teachers and administrators to implement unique and innovative programs that will have a profoundly positive impact on their students.”

“The need for quality character education in America’s schools has never been more important than it is today,” said Joseph W. Mazzola, executive director, The Character Education Partnership. “Sprint understands this. They have made a long-term commitment to helping make a difference in communities through their generous grant program to support character education in schools.”

A full list of schools and school districts that received Sprint Ahead for Education grant funding is available at: http://www.sprint.com/citizenship/education/sprintahead/index.html

About the Sprint Foundation

Since its establishment in 1989, the Sprint Foundation has provided nearly $100 million to community organizations across the country with a special emphasis on those supporting K-12 education, positive youth development, arts and culture outreach, school safety and Internet safety. Through direct grants and a robust matching-gifts program for employees and retirees, the Sprint Foundation creatively and thoughtfully delivers Sprint’s commitment to championing the communities where Sprint customers and employees live.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 52 million customers at the end of the second quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

Sprint
Natalie Papaj, 703-433-3051
Natalie.Lariviere@sprint.com
or
Kristin Wallace, 404-649-1625
Kristin.C.Wallace@sprint.com