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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2011
For more information, Call Travis Couture-Lovelady at (785) 296-3538.
Eighth Grade Lenexa Student Selected as Winner of 10th Annual Learning Quest® Essay Contest
Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes presents $1,000 award for higher education
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TOPEKA, Kan. —Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes presented eighth grade Westridge Middle School student Bryan Ralphs with an award of $1,000 towards a Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program account on November 16. He was one of four statewide winners of the 10th annual Learning Quest® Essay Contest.
The goal of the Learning Quest Essay Contest, open to all seventh and eighth grade students across the state, is to inspire them to think about their future and the importance of higher education. It also encourages families to start saving for college early.
This year's contest asked students to: 1) interview someone they know about the impact that higher education has had on their life; and 2) think about their own future career and how higher education might help them aim to reach that goal. Essays were judged on creativity, originality of content, and clarity.
Ralphs’s winning essay featured an interview with his dad. This year, 1,021 essays were received from 55 teachers at 61 schools across the State of Kansas.
"I am pleased by the number of essays the contest generated from our seventh and eighth grade students," said Kansas State Treasurer and Learning Quest Program Administrator Ron Estes. "These young men and women of Kansas are already thinking about their future and are determined to get the higher education necessary for their desired careers."
Two winners and two runners-up, one per grade, were selected to win a $1,000 or $500 Learning Quest college savings account.
The Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program was created to help families invest for their child’s continued education after high school whether at a traditional four-year college, community college or technical/vocational school. Kansas taxpayers can receive a Kansas tax deduction up to $3,000 per child ($6,000 if married, filing jointly) on contributions to Learning Quest or any other state-sponsored 529 plan.
Before investing, carefully consider the plan’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This information and more about the plan can be found in the Learning Quest Handbook, available by contacting American Century Investment Services, Inc., Distributor and Underwriter, at 1-877-345-8837, and should be read carefully before investing.
As with any investment, it is possible to lose money by investing in this plan. The value of your Learning Quest account may fluctuate, and it is possible for the value of your account to be less than the amount you invested.
Notice: Accounts established under Learning Quest and their earnings are neither insured nor guaranteed by the state of Kansas, the Kansas State Treasurer or American Century Investments.
The availability of tax or other benefits may be conditioned on meeting certain requirements, such as residency, purpose for or timing of distributions, or other factors.
Administered by Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes.
Managed by American Century Investment Management Inc.
©2011 American Century Proprietary Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Ron Estes was sworn in on January 10, 2011 as the 39th State Treasurer for the state of Kansas and is the first state wide elected official from the City of Wichita in 20 years. He was originally elected Sedgwick County Treasurer in 2004 and was re-elected to that position in 2008. Ron has also served as the Treasurer for the Kansas County Treasurers' Association. Ron was born in Topeka and is a 5th generation Kansan. His family continues to run a farm in Osage County. Ron and his wife, Susan, have three children.
