Ysidiro (Sid) Salazar is the recipient of this year's ALAS/Houghton Mifflin Scholarship. The principal of Southwest High School in San Diego, California, Salazar has dedicated the past twenty-four years to education. He received the $10,000 scholarship in November at the ALAS (Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents) awards dinner. San Diego Public Schools Superintendent Jesus Garcia attended the ceremony and ALAS Chair Dr. Carmella Franco, Superintendent of California's Whittier School District, presented the award.

In 2005, Houghton Mifflin partnered with ALAS to support the nation's aspiring superintendents with an annual scholarship that contributes to leadership in education.

Three applicants received honorable mentions and $1000 each in this year's competition; Margaret Morales, Principal, in New Jersey's Cherry Hill Public Schools; Ferdinand Fuentes Assistant to the Superintendent for Equity and Diversity, in Massachusetts' New Bedford Public Schools; Charles Hernandez, Assistant Principal, in the New York City Public Schools.

To support the popular One World summer program, Houghton Mifflin recently donated five hundred books to Boston's Mary Baker Eddy Library. For six weeks, One World enriches area youth through arts and crafts, storytelling, book giveaways, and free admission to the Mapparium, a three-story stained glass world globe. Reading is an important component of the program and with the donation, the pre-K through fifth-grade participants are able to take books home to share with family and friends.

As the nation marks Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 15, Houghton Mifflin is proud to honor Holocaust survivor, author, and humanitarian Gerda Klein and her liberator and husband, Kurt, with a $10,000 scholarship in their name.

The Gerda and Kurt Klein Scholarship award recognizes annually one high school student who works to affect change in his or her community by fostering ethnic and religious tolerance and acting against bigotry and hatred. Through this scholarship, Houghton Mifflin hopes to encourage more young people to continue the Kleins' work on these important causes.

Houghton Mifflin and the Kleins share a common mission: enlightenment through education. Gerda Klein contributed her account of the Holocaust to several Houghton Mifflin textbooks, including McDougal Littell The Americans, McDougal Littell The Language of Literature, and the historical reader, The Holocaust.

Applications are available at http://www.hmco.com/pdf/klein_scholarship.pdf and must be received by August 30, 2008.  For more information, and to download a brochure, click here.

This October marked the beginning of Houghton Mifflin's annual charitable giving season. In locations across the country, employees came together to support local and national organizations, observing a tradition more than forty-years old. In addition to raising funds for the United Way, Earth Share, and the National Center for Family Literacy, this year's campaign featured numerous charity drives, office activities, and volunteer opportunities. Employees from all Company divisions and departments participated in bake sales and book sales, raffles, an online auction, and even a chili cook-off. Collecting goods and raising more than $200,000 for charity this season, Houghton Mifflin employees are making a difference in the communities in which they live and work.

Houghton Mifflin is a proud founding sponsor of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay's Math, Science & Technology initiative (MSTi), which prepares young students for rewarding careers in math, science, and technology-related fields. More than three hundred students in Cambridge, Chelsea, Somerville, Boston, Lynn, Quincy, Randolph, and Weymouth participate in MSTi afterschool programs that emphasize hands-on learning to spark kids' curiosity in the sciences.

To celebrate the success of MSTi, Houghton Mifflin supported the Dream in Science luncheon recently held in Boston. Students from several schools showcased their science exhibits created at MSTi afterschool programs. Cambridge Mayor Kenneth Reeves, MIT President Susan Hockfield, and Boston business leaders joined Houghton Mifflin to honor the students' accomplishments.

Houghton Mifflin's commitment to education applies not only to students, but also to those who lead and inspire them. The Company recently partnered with the national Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) to support the nation's aspiring superintendents with an annual scholarship that contributes to leadership in education.

ALAS brings focus to and support for Latino educational leaders and issues, and serves as a voice for Latinos across the United States. With a $10,000 annual award, the ALAS/Houghton Mifflin scholarship recognizes Latino administrators and principals for their leadership by providing assistance for advanced education. The award will be given to a member of ALAS in good standing, who is an aspiring school leader pursuing an advanced degree in education with the goal of becoming a superintendent.

Applications are available at http://www.hmco.com/pdf/alas_scholarship.pdf, and must be received by September 5, 2008. For more information, and to download a brochure, click here.

Houghton Mifflin Company has proudly partnered with Miami’s Pro-Player Denny’s^® to reward high-performing elementary school students. Close to 300 children from participating schools who made the honor roll have been publicly recognized for their hard work. The students were invited to Pro-Player Denny’s, located across the street from Miami’s Pro Player Stadium, and presented with a certificate of achievement and a complimentary trade book from Houghton Mifflin. A professional photographer was present to capture the moment for each of the student's families. 

Houghton Mifflin recognizes the importance of effective community programs to promote student learning, and congratulates the honorees at Brentwood Elementary School, Barbara Hawkins Elementary School, and Skyway Elementary School.

To help inspire reading achievement among Boston schoolchildren who are most in need, Houghton Mifflin’s first annual Stories of Giving storytelling program brought books to life through the magic of The Polar Express.

Based on the high number of low-income and minority students who struggle with literacy, the Deputy Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools selected Lucy Stone Elementary School in Dorchester to participate in the program. Students enjoyed listening to a reading of The Polar Express, visiting with beloved children’s book characters Lyle the Crocodile and Curious George, and riding a trolley all the way to the theater to see the The Polar Express movie.

By providing them with a fun-filled day centered around reading, the Stories of Giving program reminds struggling students not only that reading goes beyond the classroom, but also that many great things begin with a good book.

Houghton Mifflin proudly sponsored the Festival Ballet's performance of The Widow's Broom, a children's story by beloved author Chris Van Allsburg. The first-ever ballet adaptation of a Van Allsburg work, The Widow's Broom ballet premiered in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 22.

Amidst a sea of pointy black hats, Providence-area Houghton Mifflin customers and long-time readers of Van Allsburg's picture books delighted in Viktor Plotnikov's choreography, the stunning sets by three-time Tony Award-winner Eugene Lee, and Aleksandra Vrebalov's original score.

For more information, read the Festival Ballet of Providence's press release announcing The Widow's Broom.