Students can win Down With Webster concert at their prom

TORONTO, Dec. 7 /CNW/ - High school students throughout Ontario will compete to have Down With Webster perform at their spring prom.

The band will perform a concert in June for the high school that wins a new online contest - College Sounds Great - that launched today. The contest encourages students across the province to describe why college education is an excellent postsecondary option, and the top 10 high schools with the largest share of entries will be finalists for the winning concert.

"What could be better than encouraging students to pursue higher education and getting to re-live our own high school proms with a performance at yours," said Tyler Armes of Down With Webster.

"This is a great opportunity to get students thinking about their options after high school," said Linda Franklin, the president and CEO of Colleges Ontario, which is running the contest. "It challenges students to be creative and to learn more about higher education and the full range of programs available to students today."

Students can enter the contest by submitting a photo and a 50 to 250 word paragraph, or by making a video, explaining why "college sounds great." Entries will be submitted on the website, www.collegesoundsgreat.com.

The 10 schools with the highest percentage of their student body entering the contest get chosen as finalists on May 5, 2011. Judges will review the entries and the winner will be selected May 12.

To enhance their chance of winning, students are encouraged to get their schools behind the project and get as many of their students as possible to enter.

The winning high school gets Down With Webster to play at its prom (or a similar event) on June 18. Down With Webster is one of Canada's hottest bands and is known for such hits as Your Man.

The College Sounds Great contest is part of the Ontario colleges' ongoing effort to encourage students to explore the range of postsecondary programs available at both college and university, and to choose programs that best suit their interests and strengths. Colleges offer a wide range of programs in a number of areas, including business, advertising, health care, IT, the culinary arts, the skilled trades, and much more.

"This contest will help motivate greater numbers of students to learn more about postsecondary education," Franklin said. "We're expecting to see some excellent entries from students throughout the province."

For further information: For further information:

Sally Ritchie
Manager, Media Relations and Communications
Colleges Ontario
647 258-7686
647 217-4109 (Cell)
[e-mail]