Lamb Chop Award
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Second Annu for Excellence in i n's I g Honoring the founders of Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) and the creators of Sesame Street Joan Ganz Cooney, Lloyd Morrisett and Jim Henson KIDSNET Celebrates the life and legacy of Shari Lewis ]dcome to the 2nd Annual Lamb Chop Award Last year we inaugurated the KIDSNET Lamb Chop percentages of minority children 79-85% of classes are Award. It also marked our 15th year of providing linked to the Internet. Of course, this statistic illustrates programming information on children's media to parents another fact that Lloyd has identified (he actually coined and professionals in the U.S. and abroad. This award, the phrase "digital divide") that there is still more work to named for founding KIDSNET Board member Shari be done to bring technological equity to our nation's Lewis, who died in 1998, reflects her genius, creativity, schools. and intellect that embodied everything we could hope to Shortly after the Kennedy Center seminar in '84 we inspire and celebrate in children's electronic media. received our first grant from the Markle Foundation to Shari was in the vanguard of new technology. She seed the KIDSNET information service. Markle funds started with a sock puppet named Lamb Chop and over were also matched by the Ford Foundation, the the course of a 40 year career created material for Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Carnegie children in virtually all media, from books, audio, and Corporation. These were the same funders that in the videotapes to broadcast television, CD-ROM and the mid-1960's (with the U.S. Office of Education historically Internet. She set the bar high, and our winners this year preceding CPB) provided the seed money for the have more than met the challenge. Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop). In October 1984, while KIDSNET was still in the R&D When Lloyd provided Joan Ganz Cooney with a grant phase, we hosted a day-long seminar at the Kennedy from the Carnegie Corporation to study the potential Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. We uses of television in preschool education her research invited 100 members of the media industry, the led to the creation of the Children's Television Workshop education, health and social service professions, the (now Sesame Workshop). She then invited puppeteer parent, youth and advocacy community, and government Jim Henson to join her, along with other producers, policymakers. The purpose of this gathering was to writers, and educational experts. The rest is "Sesame discuss the needs and interests of potential users and Street" history. providers of the information service we were developing. Both the Workshop and Jim Henson Productions had Progress often invites repetition. Just last month we major roles in this event. Dr. Lloyd Morrisett, President received a planning grant from the Markle Foundation to of the Markle Foundation, was our keynote speaker. conduct a four-month R&D to develop KIDSNET2. As we have continued to update our database with appropriate "We readily blame television for declines in morality and online and multimedia material with our existing in SAT scores without recognizing that even those who resources, more and more parents and children have deplore television implicitly admire its power as a teacher. accessed our web site. We have identified an Television, like the schoolteacher, cannot instruct overwhelming interest in a new service that includes effectively by itself. Parents who watch with children, content-based, interactive electronic media. With this teachers who assign TV programs, printed viewing Markle funding we will be investigating the potential to guides—all of these can improve television's power as a provide information to parents, educators, and children teacher. With KIDSNET...families, schools, and children themselves, about consumer software, Internet, web sites, themselves will have easy access to quality programs, video games and other wireless devices, targeted to which they might otherwise miss." These were remarks children ages 2-12. from Lloyd's speech 17 years ago. They are just as relevant today. Tb demonstrate Lloyd's prescience, he I thank the KIDSNET Board of Directors who selected the went on to say that "school officials acknowledge that they Second Annual Lamb Chop Award winners—Joan Ganz often resist the use of TV in the classroom because they Cooney, Jim Henson, and Lloyd Morrisett. Embraced by regard it as an adversary, not an aid. Yet TV programs, as broadcasters throughout the world, "Sesame Street" has well as the proliferating new technologies, can be become the single largest teacher of children. Featuring powerful educators. KIDSNET may help bring the TV set Jim Henson's lovable Muppets, the series has reached within the school walls and enable teachers to integrate over 120 million children in more than 140 countries. programs with their lesson plans." Shari would be pleased. Lloyd was more than right. Not only do we now have over 95% penetration of TV and video in our nation's schools, Karen W. Jaffe but, according to the most recent research of the National Executive Director, KIDSNET Center for Education Statistics, in schools with lower June 6, 2001 We Salute Joan Ganz Cooney Lloyd Morrisett Jim Henson and Karen Wise Jaffe and KIDSNET for their life-long dedication and support of Excellence in Children's Programming ^^mmmmm (Street" Jicts • "Sesame Street" first aired on • The show has already reared two November 10, 1969 generations of children, and it shows no signs of flagging. • More than 3,980 episodes later, "Sesame Street" has produced • In an early promotional piece, international co-productions in twenty "Sesame Street", which was then simply different countries (but it aired in more called the "Preschool Educational than 140) and is a full-fledged licensing, Television Show," was jokingly referred publishing, music, and media to by show creators as "The Itty-Bitty, phenomenon. Nitty-Gritty, Little Kiddie Show," and the "Farm and City, Dog and Kitty, Itty-Bitty, • Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Nitty-Gritty, Little Kiddie Show." Television Workshop) has published Of course, they never actually considered around 1,000 "Sesame Street" books. using those names. Up until the last moment, show writers and creators • "Sesame Street" has hosted more than couldn't find a name they all liked. 300 celebrity guests. Eventually, they were so hard-pressed to • "Sesame Street" is shown several times agree on a name they settled on the one daily on more than 340 PBS stations they least disliked: "Sesame Street"— throughout the United States. though many initially feared it would be too difficult for kids to pronounce. • 9.4 million people (children and adults) watch the show in an average week. • "Sesame Street" has won more than 100 awards: seventy-nine Emmys (more than any show in history) eight Grammys and two George Foster Peabody awards, four Parents Choice Awards; the Prix Jeunesse International; a Clio Award; and an Action for Children's Television Special Achievement Award, just to name a few. From the 1998 book, "Sesame Street Unpaved" by David Borgenicht. CONGRATULATION TO THIS YEA: ORIENTS E LAMB CHOP AWARD: THE FOUNDERS AND CREATORS OF JOAN 6ANZ COONEY • LLOYD MORRISETT • JIM HENSON In 1993, Kermit dove into writing (mit ffic jnw with "One Frog Can Make A Difference: Master of Ceremonies Kermit's Guide to Life in the 90's." Kermit the Frog's climb to the top of the amphibian elite Musical projects came from humble beginnings. Born one of several have included the thousand in a southern swamp, Kermit's life began CD "Kermit swimmingly. With only his banjo and a song in his heart, Unpigged" and two a young, green Kermit headed out to make his way in duets with Tony show business. His first stop was Washington, DC Bennett on his CD starring in a local television show, "Sam and Friends," "The Playground." earning him his first Emmy Award. In 1956, Kermit made his television debut on Steve Allen's "Tonight Kermit's resume reads like a "who's who" in show Show." This led to his big break in 1969, when he joined business. In his 45-year career, he has guest-hosted "The the cast of a new show called "Sesame Street." Tonight Show" and "Larry King Live," met the Queen of England, appeared on "Nightline" and was Grand In 1976, "The Muppet Show," a hit primetime television Marshall in the Tournament of Roses Parade. He also series, catapulted the mild-mannered frog to received an honorary degree from Long Island superstardom. Kermit's success led to feature films University, making him Dr. Kermit the Frog. Most including "The Muppet Movie," "The Great Muppet recently, Kermit has appeared on "Today", "CBS: The Caper," "The Muppets Take Manhattan," "The Muppet Early Show" and "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." As he Christmas Carol," "Muppet Treasure Island," "Muppets looks to the future, does Kermit show any signs of From Space" and the television series "Muppets Tonight." slowing down? "Slow down?" he asks. "I just got started!" Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Mallory Lewis began to work closely with her mother, the celebrated performer Shari Lewis, at the age of 12, when she helped to write Shari's newspaper column. During its first season, Mallory was a puppeteer on Shari's PBS television series, "Lamb Chop's Play-Along." She soon became a writer on the show, then took over post- production. By midway through its five year run, she was also producing the series. Mallory served in similar capacities on Shari's three prime time television specials and was Executive Story Editor and Producer of Shari's for a breast cancer charity and the 2000 "Jump for the final series,"The Charlie Horse Music Pizza." Since her Cause" event, which raised over $50,000 for spinal cord mother's death, Mallory has been performing with Lamb injury research.