Valerie invites primary schools in Walsall South to enter Make IT Happy competition

Valerie has written to local schools to encourage them to take part in the Make IT Happy competition for primary school students aged 9-11.
Valerie Vaz MP said:
“I have written to all of the primary and junior schools in Walsall South to encourage them to get involved with Make IT Happy this year. The competition offers a unique way for schools to engage with their wider communities to make a positive impact on the lives of others, while at the same time enhancing their own knowledge of IT.  
As well as the cash prizes on offer, I am confident that pupils will enjoy the chance to work together on such an exciting and relevant project. Entries should be as imaginative as possible in order to capture the attention of the judges. The competition is all about giving young people a chance to use their imagination, creativity and technology skills and show how IT can make a difference to the world around them.”
“The judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate innovative ways in which pupils have used technology to improve health. Projects could be as simple and local as planning a school vegetable garden online: they could involve using technology to reach out to older people or people with disabilities; or they could show the emotional benefits of building relationships across national or international boundaries.”
“In the 2011 Make IT Happy Competition, Palfrey Junior School, from Walsall South won the West Midlands Regional Competition and were invited to the prize giving ceremony at the House of Commons. The school received £1200 in prize money.”
The competition is run by the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee (PITCOM) and e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology. It is backed by more than 60 MPs from across theUK.
The competition recognises and rewards the excellent and inspirational work primary schools do with IT, particularly how they use it to reach out to their wider communities.
£1,200 will be awarded to each of the regional competition finalists with the overall winning school taking home an additional cash prize of £4,000. Winners will also be invited to attend an awards ceremony to be held at the Houses of Parliament in London in June 2012.
The closing date for entries is April 10^th, 2012.