Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation Names Finalists of The 'My Home: The American Dream Contest'

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation, in conjunction with Scholastic Professional Magazines' Custom Media Group, today announced the 33 finalists for the "My Home: The American Dream" contest. The nationwide competition asked students in three age categories - K-Grade 2, Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8 - to explain through images or words how they make their house a home. Each finalist receives $100.

Three grand-prize winners will be selected from this group of finalists, one representing each age category, each of whom will win $2,000. In addition, the teacher of each grand-prize winner will receive a new digital camera for his or her classroom valued at $600. The "My Home: The American Dream" contest was established in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Coldwell Banker(R) brand in 2006.

"Children intrinsically understand that a home is not just the bricks and mortar that physically safeguard them, but the love, encouragement and togetherness they experience with their families within the walls of their homes," says Charlie Young, senior vice president of marketing, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation.

"We were very impressed with what the children had to say about their homes. The submissions we received showed real charm, creativity and thoughtfulness, with entries ranging from the truly heartwarming to those that were impressive in their ingenuity," Young continues. "One boy wrote to us about growing up in an orphanage in Russia, but only truly feeling at home with the adoptive family that loves and takes care of him in Tennessee. Another child put together a large cardboard house and described all the rooms, yet topped it with real shingles and a chimney made of cobblestones. And a kindergarten student drew stick figures with captions illustrating what he thought would make his house a home, including a 'brother to love.'"

Entries were judged based on creativity, originality, overall quality and effort. Grand-prize winners will be announced on Jan. 30, 2006.

Finalists, Kindergarten through 2nd Grade Prentiss Bobo, Second Grade, Ridgeway Elementary, Memphis, Tenn. Hannah Edmondson, Second Grade, Grandview Elementary, Twin Peaks, Calif. Lanie Krause, Second Grade, Lake of the Woods Elementary, Baudette, Minn. Jordan Shelby, Second Grade, Odessa Christian School, Odessa, Texas Alex Stauff, Second Grade, Rogers Elementary, Glendshaw, Pa. Jacob Stephani, Second Grade, Lake of the Woods Elementary, Baudette, Minn. Collin Steves, Second Grade, Jefferson Elementary School, Erie, Pa. Mrs. Smith's Second Grade Class, Lake Street Elementary, Chittenango, N.Y. Christy Vineis, First Grade, Spicewood Elementary School, Austin, Texas Kelsey Warner, Second Grade, Jefferson Elementary School, Erie, Pa. Christopher Winslett, Kindergarten, Smithfield Elementary School, East Stroudsburg, Pa. Finalists, Grades 3 through 5 Adrianna Cleland, Fifth Grade, Pine Street School, Bishop, Calif. Christina Dykas, Fourth Grade, Forestdale School, Sandwich, Mass. Charles Christian Fitzgerald, Fifth Grade, Parry McCluer Middle School, Buena Vista, Va. Paul Forrester, Third Grade, Alpha Intermediate School, Morristown, Tenn. Justin Lerch, Fourth Grade, Forestdale School, Sandwich, Mass. Asia Meylink, Third Grade, Forest Glen Elementary, Green Bay, Wis. Noa Mileguir, Fifth Grade, Eagle Point Elementary School, Weston, Fla. Tim Nicholson, Fourth Grade, home schooled, Northfield, Conn. Robert Parker, Fifth Grade, Ridgeway Elementary, Memphis, Tenn. Leanne Riegel, Fourth Grade, Newark Valley Middle School, Newark Valley, N.Y. Joshua Simon, Fourth Grade, Pine View School, Osprey, Fla. Finalists, Grades 6 through 8 Zachary Baker, Sixth Grade, Kenilworth Junior High School, Petaluma, Calif. Jeffrey Brink, Eighth Grade, Pleasant Hill Middle School, Pleasant Hill, Ore. Elizabeth Dixon, Eighth Grade, Gulf Breeze Middle School, Gulf Breeze, Fla. Maeghan Farnham, Eighth Grade, Fredonia Middle School, Fredonia, N.Y. Laura McDermott, Eighth Grade, Cloverleaf Middle School, Seville, Ohio Hannah Nemer, Eighth Grade, Friendly Hills Middle School, Mendota Heights, Minn. Joellen Reiff, Sixth Grade, home schooled, Shippensburg, Pa. Sarah Schleich, Seventh Grade, Cloverleaf Middle School, Seville, Ohio Phoebe Bendar Schmidt, Eighth Grade, Julia Morgan School for Girls, Oakland, Calif. Scott Skophammer, Eighth Grade, Phillips Middle School, Fort Dodge, Iowa Taylor West, Sixth Grade, Temple Middle School, Temple, Ga. About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school- based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, http://www.scholastic.com/.

About Coldwell Banker(R)

Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker(R) organization has been a premier provider of full-service real estate. In 2005, Franchise Times magazine's prestigious Top 200 issue ranked the Coldwell Banker system number one in real estate and number nine among all franchisors. The Coldwell Banker System has more than 3,900 residential and commercial real estate offices and 126,000 Sales Associates in 29 countries and territories. The Coldwell Banker System is a leader in the industry in residential real estate, and in niche markets such as resort, new homes and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International(R) division. It is a pioneer in consumer services with its Coldwell Banker Concierge(R) Service Program and award-winning Web site, http://www.coldwellbanker.com/. Coldwell Banker Mortgage is one of the largest telephone/web based lenders in the country and the Coldwell Banker Commercial(R) network is an industry leader in providing commercial real estate solutions that serve the needs of tenants, landlords, sellers and buyers in the leasing, acquisition, disposition and management of all property types. Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation is a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation . 2006 Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation. Coldwell Banker(R) is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation. Each office is independently owned and operated except for offices owned and operated by NRT Incorporated.