ST. VIATOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE INVITED TO THE TOYchallenge NATIONALS AT THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

Alexandria, VA (April 23, 2008) -Two teams from St. Viator Elementary School in Chicago, IL-- Friendly Friends-- Emma Gonzalez, Abigail Gray, Christina Gray, Kate Jordan, Diego Reyes-Alicea and Nicholas Stanley and Smarteez--Sandra Luna, Allison Paloma, and Ana Rubin De Celis, were recently selected to advance to the Sally Ride Science TOYchallenge™ 2008 Nationals at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, in Alexandria on May 17th . The teams, led by Jane Falasz, join hundreds of teams of students from across the country that are participating in TOYchallenge, a fun-fueled toy- and game-design competition that gives kids the chance to step out of their classrooms and develop their engineering and design skills by creating their dream toy.

For the competition's Preliminary Round, the teams, comprised of at least 50 percent girls, submitted written descriptions and visual presentations of their original toy or game concepts based on themed categories including Games for the Family, Get Out and Play, and Toys that Teach. The submissions were judged on originality, creativity, feasibility, design process description, team participation and clarity of communication. 100 Preliminary Round finalists were invited to advance to the TOYchallenge Nationals to be held at The United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 17th. At the Nationals, one grand prize package will be awarded, and one team will also be named the category prize winner in each theme category.

TOYchallenge (www.TOYchallenge.com) is designed to engage middle school-age students, especially girls, in science and engineering and to inspire them to pursue careers in those fields. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprise only 13 percent of the engineering workforce. However, studies show that, in elementary school, equal numbers of girls and boys are interested in--and good at--math, science and technology. Unfortunately, beginning around the sixth grade, more girls than boys drift away from these subjects. While open to all fifth through eighth graders in the U.S., TOYchallenge focuses on catching girls' attention in these subjects in order to keep them in the engineering "pipeline." TOYchallenge is created and run by Sally Ride Science, in partnership with United States Patent and Trademark Office. Northrop Grumman is the presenting sponsor. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of TOYchallenge.

Sally Ride Science
Sally Ride Science is an innovative science content company dedicated to fueling girls' and boys' interests in science, math and technology. Dr. Sally Ride, best known as America's first woman in space, founded the company in 2001 to create quality programs and products that educate, entertain, engage and inspire. Our programs include Sally Ride Science Festivals, TOYchallenge, Educator Institutes, summer camps, and after-school programs. Our publications include award-winning science books, science career books, and innovative Classroom Sets to supplement science instruction. Our publications and programs bring science to life and show kids that science is creative, collaborative, fascinating and fun. For more information go to http://www.SallyRideScience.com or call 1-800-561-5161.

Contact Information:
St. Viator Elementary School: Jane Falasz 201@stviatorchicago.org

Sally Ride Science: Meredith Manning - mmanning@sallyridescience.com