Upcoming Release of Oliver Twist Encourages Students to 'Write Like Dickens'

Upcoming Release of Oliver Twist Encourages Students to 'Write Like Dickens'

Middle and High School Students to Compete in Nationwide Essay Contest

CULVER CITY, Calif., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- With the film release of Oliver Twist on Friday, September 30th, Young Minds Inspired (YMI) has created the Oliver Twist program. The Oliver Twist program includes National Standards-based curriculum activities in literary analysis as well as the Write Like the Dickens Essay Contest. This curriculum was sent out to more than 32,000 middle and high school English department chairpersons across the country.

The winner receives a three-day trip to London, including a guided tour of Dickens' London. The subject of the 150-250 word essay is: Why has the story of Oliver Twist stood the test of time and how does it relate to you today? The program is sponsored by TriStar Pictures.

All entries must be postmarked by October 31, 2005. Essays will be judged on creativity, relevance to theme, writing proficiency and legibility. Entries will be mailed to YMI, P.O. Box 5212, New York, New York 10185-5212.

The teacher of the winning student receives a home entertainment system and DVD library of 20 classic films, plus four classic books from Random House. Two hundred student runners-up will receive a special certificate of commendation from TriStar Pictures.

More than 14,000 middle schools and 18,000 high schools are now receiving the curriculum and essay contest materials. This translates to over 1,400,000 middle school students and 3,600,000 high school students becoming motivated to learn about classic literature. Teachers who wish to obtain a free copy of the program and contest entry form can visit www.ymiteacher.com or call 1-800-859-8005.

Young Minds Inspired (YMI) is the leader of in-school curriculum-based educational programs. Founded by in-school expert Roberta Nusim, YMI has created programs that range from preschool through college and has worked with leading companies in every field. Nusim and YMI president Joel Ehrlich are both former teachers who understand the value of bringing real-life products into the classroom as a way to motivate and engage the interests of their students.

Source: TriStar Pictures

CONTACT: Los Angeles, Michelle Robertson of MRC, +1-310-652-6123; or New York, Tom Piechura of The Dart Group, +1-212-277-7555, both for TriStar Pictures; or Regional, Aurora Belchic of TriStar, +1-310-244-3686

Web site: http://www.ymiteacher.com/

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