21 Star Teachers Recognized by Bright House Networks

ORLANDO - (May 10, 2007) – Bright House Networks will honor 21 teachers who have been selected as some of the most creative teachers at the annual Star Teacher Awards gala on Monday, June 4. The event will be held at Soundstage 33 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.  The Star Teacher Awards program is in its 18th year, and recognizes teachers who use Cable in the Classroom to help develop innovative classroom projects that enhance the learning experience for their students.  The 2007 Bright House Networks Star Teacher Awards program is sponsored by Discovery Education and NBC Universal Cable.

Along with attending the gala, hosted by NBC Universal Cable, Bright House Networks is recognizing each winning teacher with a share of a $10,000 cash prize; an all expense paid educational trip to Chicago, Illinois; and a Crystal Star trophy.  In addition, for each school that has a Star Teacher Award winner, a new laptop computer will be donated to the school’s media center.

“Our Star Teacher Awards program underscores our commitment to supporting quality education in our communities by honoring these innovative teachers and the creative opportunities they bring to each student in their classroom,” said John Rigsby, president of Bright House Networks.

The Star Teacher Awards competition is open to educators in all six Bright House Networks divisions.  An independent panel of judges selected ten out of a total of 35 entries.  The projects were judged on overall program content, relevance to the curriculum, learning benefits to students, innovative approach, quality of materials and activities, duration of the project, frequency and effective use of cable programming and number of students impacted. 

Bright House Networks provides the connection and basic cable service free to virtually all schools in the company’s service areas.  Connected schools receive more than 540 hours of commercial-free, educational programming each month at no charge through Bright House Networks membership in Cable in the Classroom.

Lead Sponsorship of the 2006 – 2007 Bright House Networks Star Teacher Awards program is provided this year by Discovery Education.  The host sponsor of the awards gala is NBC Universal Cable.  Other sponsors include Univision, Ovation – The Arts Network, The History Channel, Scientific-Atlanta, Scripps Network, HBO, and Hallmark Channel. 

"Discovery is proud to support the Bright House Networks Star Teacher Awards program, which honors outstanding teachers who are committed to enhancing the classroom experience by integrating educational programming in their lessons," said Bill Goodwyn, President, Domestic Distribution and Enterprises, Discovery Communications, Inc. "These educators are passionate, innovative and dedicated, and we share their belief that connecting students to the best educational content through technology makes a positive impact on their learning."

"We're pleased to partner with Bright House Networks and sponsor the Star Teacher Award program again this year," commented Henry Ahn, Executive Vice President, NBC Universal TV Networks Distribution. "The awards symbolize the dedication and passion that these teachers have demonstrated throughout the year and we couldn't be more proud to support such a dynamic group of educators."

Soundstage 33 is located at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. 

About Bright House Networks
Bright House Networks is the nation’s 6th largest MSO with over 2 million customers in several large markets including  Bakersfield, California; Birmingham, Alabama; Detroit, Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; Orlando, Florida (Central Florida Division) and Tampa Bay, Florida along with several other smaller systems in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.  The high-growth Tampa/Central Florida markets are contiguous and form one of the country’s largest cable clusters.

Exceptional customer service is the company’s cornerstone of its business and top priority across all operating units.  Bright House Networks local, customer service centers are available 24 hours per day, seven days per week, including holidays.  Public affairs, social responsibility and community involvement continue as major initiatives for the company as an ongoing commitment to the families and communities Bright House Networks serves.  This includes long-term commitments to education and to what matters in the lives of Bright House Networks communities. 

Bright House Networks also owns and operates two 24-hour local news operations; Central Florida News 13, News 13 Weather NOW, Central Florida on Demand, and cfnews13.com serving the Orlando area, and serving Tampa; Bay News 9, Bay News 9 En Español, Travel Weather Now, Tampa Bay on Demand and Baynews9.com.

2006-2007 Bright House Networks Star Teacher Award Winners

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