Circle Center a Finalist in $10,000 Box Top Promotion

A Yorkville parent is asking people to vote in an online Box Tops contest that could reward her school with $10,000.

Circle Center Grade School PTO member Julie Page decorated Progresso soup cans to illustrate Progresso's addition to the Box Tops for Education program, which gives PTOs and schools 10 cents for each "box top" logo they collect from food items.

Page entered her photograph announcing "The Progresso Family Has Joined… The Box Tops Family" in a promotional contest. Her sons, ages 8 and 6, suggested she add a Progresso soup can decorated like a dog to the "family" of decorated soup cans she used to illustrate her slogan.

Page was surprised to learn last month that a public relations firm had included hers in the 10 finalists.

"I was super-thrilled," Page said. "I knew it was going to be a long shot."

Now, she's asking people to create a log-in at Box Tops for Education Web site (directions at the bottom of this article) and vote daily for the school's photograph through Monday. The entry with the most votes will receive 100,000 "box tops," while all the other finalists will receive 1,000 "box tops," or $100.

Circle Center Grade School is the only school from the Midwest in the Top 10, Page said. Other finalists include Heritage Elementary School in Georgia, Garden Villas Elementary School in Texas, and Newbridge Road Elementary School in New York.

"We're a much smaller school and a much smaller town (than other contenders,)" Page said. "We're hoping everyone will rally around us and support the Midwest."

But that hasn't stopped her and other school leaders from thinking about what they'd do with the prize money. So far, they have talked about purchasing more mimios and other technology, Circle Center Principal Brenda Donahue said.

The school purchased two mimios per grade for teachers to use beginning this academic year through a similar program hosted by Target. The mimios make the teacher's whiteboard interactive, so students can "click" and write on the whiteboard much like they would a computer screen.

The new technology has been a hit with students, Donahue said.

"The students almost force (teachers) to use it, because they asked," she said. "The kids love it."

Donahue said she wishes all 10 finalists luck.

"I can imagine all of us need that money, but we keep our hopes up," Donahue said. "I think we have a pretty good chance. If you look at the other pictures, ours is the cutest and most creative."

Circle Center Grade School PTO Box Top coordinator Julie Page offered these instructions for voting in the Box Tops for Education contest:

• Go to this link.
• If you are already a member of the Box Tops website, you will be able to vote right away. Otherwise, select "Join." Use zip code 60560, and then select Circle Center Grade School from the pull down menu.
• Enter your name and other information to register. You'll enter an e-mail address and create a password with both letters and numbers.
• Then, you'll create a screen name. Now, you're ready to vote.
• Find the Circle Center Grade School picture of the Progresso soup can family. At the bottom right of the picture are the blue words "rate this photo." You'll see five very light-colored stars next to that. Click on all five of them to make them yellow. Then, go to the bottom of the screen and click "Submit your Ratings.
• That's it! You've voted for Circle Center Grade School. You can vote daily until Monday, Dec. 13.