Cartoon Network Program Piloting Spring 2002 In Atlanta, Seattle, Cincinnati Middle Schools

With character development playing an ever-greater role in schools, Cartoon Network announces Animate Your World: Shaping Character, a national character education program for middle school students designed to aid educators in creating caring, principled and responsible adults. Animate Your World: Shaping Character is an interactive program using animation technology to infuse character education into the curriculum. The program pilots in spring 2002 in Atlanta, Cincinnati and Seattle middle schools and launches nationally in the fall.

Animate Your World: Shaping Character was developed to give teachers a resource to teach students positive character traits. The educational program focuses on three character behaviors: Respect for Self, Respect for Others and Responsibility to Community, and uses the animation technology to make these life lessons come alive in the classroom. Animate Your World: Shaping Character can be used in language arts, social studies and guidance counseling, and other curriculum areas such as art, technology, and science. Using CD-ROM based curriculum materials, teachers first review the character education topics with their students. Classes then use the CD to view pre-created cartoon animation sequences focusing on character-challenging situations. Students plan, design and produce their own endings to the cartoons, incorporating the character education lessons from their classwork.

"Through the Animate Your World: Shaping Character program, we are bringing character education to the nation's schools in a way only Cartoon Network can, using the latest in animation technology to motivate students to learn these important lessons," said Jim Samples, executive vice president and general manager, Cartoon Network Worldwide.

In addition to character education lessons, students learn problem solving skills, the art of story telling, the art of visual thinking and the basics of animation. The CD-ROM will also include information for students on careers in cartoon animation. Animate Your World: Shaping Character was developed by educators, animators and character education experts in line with national curriculum standards.

For more information on AYW visit http://www.animateyourworld.com.

Animate Your World: Shaping Character was developed by Cartoon Network and Turner Learning, the educational division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Turner Learning is dedicated to using selected resources of the company to create the highest quality, innovative products and services for the classroom to educate and inspire youth worldwide. For more information, educators may call 1-800-344-6219 or visit us online at http://www.turnerlearning.com.

Cartoon Network, currently seen in 79.9 million U.S. homes and 145 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s 24-hour, ad-supported cable service offering the best in animated entertainment. Drawing from the world's largest cartoon library, Cartoon Network also showcases unique original ventures such as Sheep in the Big City, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Mike, Lu & Og, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, Dexter's Laboratory and Cartoon Cartoons. Since its launch in 1992, Cartoon Network has remained one of ad-supported cable's highest-rated networks. Cartoon Network's Web site is located at http://cartoonnetwork.com.