The North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals (NCSHP) is proud to announce a "Stay in School" Video/Announcement Contest for Hispanic students as part of its 2008-2009 "Stay in School" campaign.  The NCSHP's "Stay in School" campaign is sponsored by Nationwide Insurance and supported by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in an effort to 1) raise awareness among Hispanic youth and their parents of the low graduation rate among Hispanic youth in North Carolina and 2) inform and remind them about the benefits of staying in school, finishing high school and continuing with their education.

Approximately five out of ten Hispanics students will eventually drop out of school when they reach 9th grade. The "Stay in School" Video/Announcement Contest is the first initiative of its kind directly involving Hispanic students in the process of creating public service messages to encourage their peers to stay in school and graduate from high school.

The video contest is open to middle and high school Hispanic students in the North Carolina public school system. The students are encouraged to think creatively about ways to effectively convey "stay in school" messages to their peers which will be captured in a short video they create (30 seconds length). Prizes will be awarded to the highest quality submissions which contain a compelling, creative, and strong message that effectively communicates the message of staying in school and graduating from high school. The student(s) producing the top three video works will receive cash prizes in the amounts of $500.00 (first prize), $300 (second prize) and $150 (third prize), plus gift certificates. The top video/announcement winners will also be given the opportunity to make a public service announcement (PSA) based on their video or to have the actual video aired on the TV Hispanic station Univision 40.

Marco A. Zárate, President of NCSHP pledges, on behalf of the organization, full support in finding solutions and implementing strategies and programs to keep youth in the schools. The "Stay in School" campaign reaches more than 25,000 students and their parents.

For more information about our campaign and video/announcement contest, please visit our website at http://www.thencshp.org/programs/stayinschool/index.shtml or contact us by e-mail at mailbox@TheNCSHP.org.

The North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals is a 501(c)(3) statewide non-profit organization, founded in February 1999 to enhance the integration and cooperation among the Hispanic professionals of North Carolina and concerned individuals (Hispanic, non-Hispanic, professionals, and non-professionals) and organizations to promote the education of Hispanic students at all levels in North Carolina.