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Catalogue Blog

In the News…

This week’s news articles have a specific focus on education funding, initiatives, and events right here in the District. Education is really important to us here in the Catalogue, so be sure to browse our participating nonprofits who focus on improving education daily for kids throughout the greater Washington area!

National Spelling Bee kicks off with a new twist – vocabulary tests (Washington Post) Tomorrow begins the 86th Annual National Spelling Bee, which is taking place right here in Washington, DC, in National Harbor. This event promotes literacy and the power of words through rounds of intensely competitive play. In this event, televised on ESPN, the winner, who could be anywhere from 8 to 14 years old, will walk away with a bevy of prizes, including a cool $30,000. This year, the competition is so strong that an additional ‘definition’ section has been added to online preliminary examinations, where spellers are asked to not just spell the word but to explain its meaning.

DC City Council Approves FY2014 Budget (Washington Examiner, Washington Post, DC Fair Budget Coalition) Last week’s new budget approval by the DC City Council left many pleasantly surprised by the speedy (in the political world) results. Under new Chairman of the Council Mendelson, Mayor Gray’s “One City Fund” became the “Innovation Fund”, but still allocated $15 million for competitive non-profit grants. While the City Council has received some criticism for its budget allocation (for example, of the record-high budget growth of 6% from last year, only 1% of the growth was added to the Education budget), new public transportation and affordable transportation funding are certainly a step in the right direction.

Strawberries and Salad greens Day is TODAY (District of Columbia website) Today, local public school students will receive a very special treat at lunch: local salad greens and fresh strawberries from farms right around the DC-VA-MD area. In this relatively new initiative, the DC Education Committee seeks to educate both about nutrition and about the importance of eating locally. Through this interactive and tasty event, young students all over the District will get a great education in healthy and local food choices.

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