APPLETON, Wis., Nov. 28, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Legendary basketball Coach John Wooden and School Specialty (Nasdaq:SCHS) have teamed up to create student agendas that communicate character-building messages for primary and elementary students across the country.
Coach Wooden and School Specialty, through its Premier(tm) product line of customized student agendas, planners and workbooks, will offer primary and elementary schools a unique character-development initiative delivered through special editorial content in student agendas. Content of the Premier Character Development Agenda Programs(r) are built on Coach Wooden's acclaimed Pyramid of Success(c) and his best-selling children's literature, Inch and Miles Journey to Success, Heroes of Beesville, Fiesta, and Adventure Underground.
"I'm pleased to be associated with School Specialty and its Premier product line," said Coach Wooden. "Premier products have been in the education market for almost 25 years and introduced the market to the idea of student planners and school agendas. School Specialty has a solid reputation for developing quality educational products with messages that speak directly to youngsters."
Coach Wooden said his goal in writing the children's books was to bring the message and values of his Pyramid of Success to young people. "I created the Pyramid of Success over five decades ago to help me teach its important values to those under my supervision in the classroom and on the basketball court," said Coach Wooden. "The student agendas, which are based on the Inch and Miles children's book, carry that mission into the 21st century in a positive and powerful manner."
Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success is built on 15 universally accepted values or building blocks. Those building blocks embody support for the physical, mental, social and emotional development of the whole child and focus on: Hard Work; Friendship; Loyalty; Cooperation; Enthusiasm; Self-Control; Alertness; Action; Determination; Fitness; Skill; Team Spirit; Poise; Confidence; and Personal Best.
The Premier Character Development Agenda Programs are focused on helping students understand how each of the Coach's time-honored principles can serve as a building block in their quest for personal success.
"Success," said Coach Wooden, "is happiness in your heart because you made the effort, 100%, to do your best."
"Our goal in partnering with Coach Wooden was simple," said Joel Zucker, Vice President of Marketing and Product Development for the Premier product line. "We wanted to use our companywide customer network to bring Coach Wooden's timeless educational materials to more schools and more students."
School Specialty worked with Coach Wooden to develop agenda programs for primary and elementary students. "Both of these programs," said Zucker, "are based on Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success and are supported by teacher and parent resources. They start with the central messages articulated by Coach Wooden and include classroom, home and community activities built around the Coach's 15 central building blocks. The entire effort is targeted at positively impacting student behavior and student character development."
Schools that have already embraced Coach Wooden's children's literature and his Pyramid of Success speak highly of the program. "This (the Pyramid of Success) has been the most successful character education program that I have been involved with," said Eric Forseth, principal of Alvin Dunn Elementary in San Marcos, CA. "And it's literacy based. Our teachers and the kids love having the Inch and Miles book to use during the month to study each of the traits."
Forseth added that providing teachers and students with a common language to speak from also served to positively impact his school's learning climate.
"Working with Coach Wooden has been an amazing experience," said Zucker, noting that staff members who met and worked with Coach Wooden repeatedly remarked on his passion to engage and inspire students. "Helping students do their best," said Zucker, "is what this program is truly all about."
About Coach John Wooden
UCLA's basketball program gained world-wide recognition under the leadership and teaching of head basketball coach John Wooden, who announced his retirement in 1975 after his 27th season as the Bruins' head coach with the best winning record in the history of the NCAA March Madness national championships - 10 national titles including seven in a row and four perfect seasons. Wooden is only one of three people to ever be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and a coach. ESPN chose John Wooden as the "Greatest Coach of the 20th Century." In 2003, President George W. Bush awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
For more information about Coach Wooden, visit www.CoachWooden.com
About School Specialty
School Specialty, Appleton, WI, is a leading education company that provides innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to help educators engage and inspire students of all ages and abilities to learn. Working with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help educators, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential.
For more information about School Specialty, visit www.schoolspecialty.com