Varsity Brands, the recognized leader in team athletic gear, the driving force in cheerleading and dance, and the most trusted name in celebrating student milestones, today announced Vista Murrieta High School, from Murrieta, Calif. as the winner of its America’s Most Spirited High School Contest. The announcement today coincides with National School Spirit Day, which was recognized by Congress last year.
“Our students feel connected to Vista Murrieta and have an engrained sense of school pride,” said Mick Wager, Principal of Vista Murrieta, “The family atmosphere and sense of community is apparent and genuine.”
High schools across the country were invited to enter the contest, which called for each school to submit a 90-second video, a 500-word essay, two letters of recommendation and several photos demonstrating its school spirit. High schools from 33 states were represented in the contest. Vista Murrieta’s video submission won based on a nationwide vote and included footage from games, pep rallies, and student activities that epitomize a robust school spirit environment that seeks to include all students. Vista Murrieta estimates that 85% of their students are involved in at least one activity, club or sport, and their video was a true testament to the power of school spirit and its effects on high school students.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7636151-varsity-brands-vista-murrieta-award/
Lupe Maldonado will tell you, “education is key.” That’s because it’s what helped her and her family create a brighter future. Their story started in a garage in Torrance, Calif., more than 20 years ago. That’s where they lived when they came to the U.S. No bathroom. No running water; a mattress on the bare floor. They covered up the holes to keep out the cold and the mice. While it may have been a bleak start, Lupe says just being in America was a dream come true.
While Ismael worked 12 hour days to support his family, Lupe joined a new program at her son’s elementary school called the Toyota Family Literacy Program in order to learn English. It was a tough decision, going to school instead of getting a job that could provide the money needed to move out of that garage; but Ismael and Lupe knew if she could learn English, she could advocate for their boys with teachers, doctors and in the community. Ismael also enrolled in English classes.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7946551-ncfl-toyota-partnership/
Zombies are taking over casinos across North America! Aristocrat has unleashed a giant horde of zombies in its new The Walking Dead™ Slot Game, based on AMC’s monster hit TV show The Walking Dead.
The Walking Dead Slot Game is invading casinos from coast to coast across North America from San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in Highland, Calif., to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida to Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., and countless casinos in between. Players can find where to play the game by visiting www.aristocratplayingdead.com.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63298-aristocrat-unleashes-the-walking-dead-slot-game
Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race returns for a third season this summer, with host Tyler Florence presiding over the cross-country culinary road trip with a brand-new twist: no longer a competition between current food truck operators as in prior seasons, this high-stakes battle is between eight teams who desperately want to be in the food truck business – they have a dream, a concept and insane culinary skills. Each three-person team is provided a vehicle for the race, but only the grand prize winner gets to keep their food truck and a $50,000 cash prize to start their dream business. From mobile mini-pies and authentic Aussie grub to specialty waffles, each team’s inspired cuisine and road strategy is put to the test in city-specific challenges that begin at a Long Beach, Calif. lighthouse and continue through the finale at the West Quoddy Lighthouse in Maine, the easternmost point of the United States. The seven-episode series premieres on Sunday, August 19th at 10pm ET/PT, after the finale of Chopped: Grill Masters, and beginning the next week will air in its regular timeslot Sundays at 9pm ET/PT.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/56970-food-network-the-great-food-truck-race/
SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWR) announced today that the third-generation SunPower® Oasis® platform for large-scale solar power plants, featuring a seamless integration of hardware and software unprecedented in the solar industry, is launching at an event today at SunPower’s new research and development facility in Davis, Calif.
“The Oasis platform is a complete solution that optimizes energy production and maximizes value for our power plant customers,” said Tom Werner, president and CEO of SunPower. “Integral to each Oasis component, from the automated design tools to robotic panel cleaning, is more than 30 years of solar industry innovation and experience that only SunPower offers, enabling our customers to benefit from the world’s most efficient, reliable solar technology available.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7706153-sunpower-oasis/
Today the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Ad Council and Project Yellow Light announced the winners of the fifth annual Project Yellow Light scholarship competition. The contest calls on students to develop and produce a short video educating their peers on the dangers of using mobile devices behind the wheel of a vehicle. For the first time, Clear Channel Outdoor Americas has joined longstanding partners Mazda Motorsports, the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) and U-Haul to launch the first Project Yellow Light out-of-home media design contest. The winners of both the video and out-of-home design contests will be unveiled this afternoon on a digital billboard in New York’s Times Square that was donated by Clear Channel Outdoor.
Brothers Sam and Wrenn Senser from Louisville, Nebr. scooped the two grand prizes of $5,000 for the video contest, with Sam winning the college category, and Wrenn winning the high school category. The winners of the out-of-home media design contest were college student Bethany Wheeler from Snellville, Ga., and high school student Emily McDonald from Anaheim, Calif., with both receiving $2,000 scholarships. The winning videos can be viewed here.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7854051-ad-council-project-yellow-light-winners/
When Kayla Dehnert tells friends and family in Northern California about life as a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patient, she pulls out a string of beads taller than she is.
Kayla, 8, of Novato, Calif., is one of hundreds of St. Jude patients who have participated in the hospital’s Legacy Bead program since its launch in 2009. The program offers patients and their families a tangible way to illustrate their journeys using 55 glass beads as unique as the children who collect them. Patients receive vivid green cylindrical beads for blood transfusions; sapphire round beads for lumbar punctures; tear-drop beads in assorted colors for homesickness; and blue, triangle-shaped beads for clinic visits. Other beads mark triumphs such as the completion of radiation or chemotherapy or challenges ranging from cancer’s return to the death of a friend.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/58137-st-jude-legacy-bead-program-treatment-milestones-for-children
Sears, a leading integrated retailer, is launching a Connected Solutions flagship store that simplifies the way people shop for their connected home. Located at The Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno, Calif., it features a living room, kitchen, nursery, workout room, garage and outdoor area, so members can experience the benefits of smart technology firsthand. Nationally, Sears is expanding its Connected Solutions assortment to hundreds of stores, offering one of the industry's largest cross-category selections of smart technology products. Online, members can experience the San Bruno store and shop for an even wider selection of smart products on the new Sears Connected Solutions site.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7551551-sears-connected-solutions-flagship/
Constantine Maroulis, star of Rock of Ages and former finalist on American Idol, joined Fisher-Price®, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT), and Disney Consumer Products to bring down the house at D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif. today with a rockin’ concert to introduce the new Rock Star Mickey interactive feature plush. The rocker jammed on stage with Mickey Mouse to show kids and Disney fans classic rock star moves featured in the interactive plush including Rock Star Mickey’s signature move, the Mickety-Split. The two have also teamed up for the Rock Star Mickey TV commercial, which is set to air Sept. 6. With strong pre-sales currently underway, Rock Star Mickey (#RockStarMickey) is expected to be a fan favorite this holiday season.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/51663-constantine-maroulis-with-rock-star-mickey-at-disney-d23-expo
Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has named Master Gunnery Sergeant Charles Padilla of San Marcos, Calif. as the winner of the 2011 Rare Life Award.
Eagle Rare will donate $10,000 to Padilla’s charitable cause of choice, the Semper Fi Fund for wounded Marines. A reception and award ceremony will be held in his honor in the near future.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/buffalotrace/48686/
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported today that 2010 continued the trend of declining national vehicle thefts for the seventh consecutive year. While the top five hot spots for 2010 showed an increase in thefts over the previous year, the other areas on the top 10 list actually had fewer thefts.
NICB’s Hot Spots report examines vehicle theft data obtained from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for each of the nation’s MSAs. MSAs are designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and often include areas much larger than the cities for which they are named. For example, the Fresno, Calif., MSA includes all thefts within the entire county of Fresno, not just the city of Fresno.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/nicb/50649/
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) was given exclusive access to a 1981 Ferrari GTSI recovered at the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach earlier this month.
The car, one of 1,743 of that model made in 1981, was stolen in 1987 from Newport Beach, Calif., while on consignment at a dealership. The vehicle identification number (VIN) was later switched to the VIN of a 1982 Ferrari that had already been exported to Norway in 2005. When the vehicle arrived at the port, it was headed from Texas to Poland.
Working with Customs and Border Protection, the California Highway Patrol and Ferrari representatives, NICB was able to determine the true identity of the car and to recover the original theft report filed with Newport Beach Police in 1987. NICB records showed only 12 stolen red Ferraris still unrecovered at this time.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7665252-nicb-stolen-ferrari/