Press Releases

Meet the Young Writers Who Won Education.com’s 2025 Story Challenge

Ten remarkable students turned their imaginations into unforgettable adventures

SAN MATEO, California — May 6, 2025 — This spring, Education.com invited young writers from around the globe to unleash their imaginations and submit original works to our 2025 Story Challenge. Their responses were nothing short of spectacular.

Inspired by National Reading Month, the contest received hundreds of entries brimming with unique perspectives and passion for a great tale. They poured in from all corners of the world—including Australia, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, Mexico, Peru and Spain—each judged on creativity, originality, organization and descriptive language. Today, we’re thrilled to spotlight ten students whose submissions stood out and reminded us why storytelling matters.

These winners have shown incredible talent and vision, building stories that transport readers to new worlds, explore unique characters and tackle meaningful topics. From a brave hero in “Captain Lentils” to a thrilling adventure in “The Midnight Whisper,” each story brings something special to the table.

• Marco G., Age 7 (Spain) — Captain Lentils
  • This bold tale follows Captain Lentils, an unexpected hero who courageously takes on aliens and bank robbers to save planet Earth. 
• Zechariah F., Age 7 (Illinois) — Samuel the Pea and his Quest for Family
  • Samuel is separated from his pod during the Great Pea War and adopted into a new family. Still, he never gives up hope of reuniting with his parents. This heartwarming tale highlights the power of resilience, love and the unbreakable bond of family.
• Bethany I., Age 9 (Texas) — Clay and the Mysterious Pink Lemonade
  • One day, Clay is handed a glass of pink lemonade instead of his usual yellow. He’s stunned but learns a powerful lesson: Something can look different and still be just as good.
• Dominic P., Age 9 (Florida) — Homework Monster
  • A splash of magic juice turns one student’s homework into a monster! A wild quest to outwit the creature ensues, blending fantasy and fun in every paragraph.
• Eyas K., Age 9 (Texas) — Life as a Cheetah
  • What if you could trade your physical abilities for the speed and power of the fastest creature on land? Eyas imagines life as a cheetah: darting across the savanna, spotting opportunities from miles away—and never having to eat veggies again.
• Sanvi K., Age 10 (Canada) — The Midnight Whisper
  • Sanvi’s eerie mystery plunges readers into a rain-soaked New York City, where investigator Lina Rains follows a trail of cryptic clues, chilling whispers and ancient secrets. Nothing is as it seems.
• Eliana T., Age 10 (Hong Kong) — Another Imagination
  • Stranded on Xelvi after Earth’s collapse, Sora crosses paths with “C”—a half-human, half-AI companion. Together, they risk everything chasing the legendary Luminescence Crystal, hoping to make an impossible wish a reality.
• Evelyn K., Age 11 (Oregon) — The Stone From the Sky
  • When Jessie finds a glowing blue orb in her school locker, she’s torn from her body and whisked into a cloud-shrouded realm where she must decide who to trust.
• Hasitha C., Age 12 (Canada) — The Truth Reflected
  • A dusty cheval mirror in Charley's attic reveals terrifying visions of the future, leading her and her best friend Bella to uncover a hidden family history. Will Charley simply unearth the past or venture to rewrite it?
• Rose G., Age 13 (California) — The Perfect Tutor
  • Struggling in eighth grade after his parents' divorce, Relic faces failing grades. He is assigned Brielle, a seventh-grade genius, as his tutor. Despite initial skepticism, Relic realizes Brielle's unconventional approach might be the perfect way to help him finally catch up.

“We’ve been blown away by the creativity and originality of the entries we received,” said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning, Education.com’s parent company. “We encourage everyone to take a moment to read these exceptional works and congratulate the writers for their outstanding achievements.”

What’s next for the winners?

All winning stories are featured in our annual Story Challenge anthology, where they will inspire readers of all ages. The winners will also receive a one-year Premium membership to Education.com.​​​​​​​

About Education.com

Education.com provides a vast library of learning materials for preK-8 students, including more than 38,000 interactive games, worksheets and hands-on activities. Parents and teachers can follow its lesson plans or curate their own curricula using grade-specific resources to teach core skills in any topic. Over 33 million parents and teachers worldwide have joined the platform since its debut in 2006. Education.com joined the IXL Learning family of brands in 2019.

Education.com Debuts Middle School Math and English Language Arts Resources

Hundreds of new worksheets, games and lesson plans help 6-8th grade students master essential skills

SAN MATEO, Calif. — August 30, 2021 — Education.com, the leading online education destination serving more than 33 million teachers, parents and homeschoolers, announced the release of its first math and English language arts (ELA) resources for students in grades 6-8. The addition of new printable worksheets, interactive games and lesson plans meets the growing demand for tools that help learners develop higher-level skills and succeed throughout middle school.

Built by educators, the Common Core-aligned resources encourage students to dive into new topics and cultivate a more advanced skillset. Parents and teachers can tap into various activities—from captivating printables to interactive games—to mix up educational opportunities and make learning fun for students. The materials support student growth across all of the major topic areas for middle school math and ELA.

“Middle school students need diverse educational activities that reinforce classroom instruction while presenting new opportunities to grow,” said Kate Mattison, Vice President of Curriculum at IXL Learning, Education.com’s parent company. “Parents and teachers of middle schoolers now have an exciting new way to provide meaningful support, help students tackle more challenging skills and foster a lasting love for learning.”

Education.com will continue to develop math and ELA content for middle school, and will introduce science and social studies resources for grades 6-8 later this school year.

The perfect library for learning

Parents, teachers and students can access the new middle school resources through Education.com’s Learning Library. The library contains 35,000 standards-aligned activities covering math, science, social studies, reading and more for preK-8 learners. A combination of digital and printable content—from science projects to song videos, workbooks and more—helps students develop key skills and master concepts at their own pace. In addition, teachers and parents can access handy Weekly Boost materials for tips and educational resources that support children throughout the school year.

About Education.com Over 33 million parents and teachers worldwide have joined Education.com since the early learning platform launched in 2006. Education.com’s curriculum is comprehensive, covering core skills across math, reading, writing, and more. Designed with flexibility, it can be tailored to meet the interests and needs of diverse learners and can be accessed across a variety of digital platforms. Parents and teachers can follow Education.com’s guidance step-by-step, curate their own curriculum, or dive deeply into specific areas with more than 35,000 interactive games, worksheets, hands-on activities, and lessons. Education.com joined the IXL Learning family of brands in 2019.

About Education.com

Over 33 million parents and teachers worldwide have joined Education.com since the early learning platform launched in 2006. Education.com’s curriculum is comprehensive, covering core skills across math, reading, writing, and more. Designed with flexibility, it can be tailored to meet the interests and needs of diverse learners and can be accessed across a variety of digital platforms. Parents and teachers can follow Education.com’s guidance step-by-step, curate their own curriculum, or dive deeply into specific areas with more than 35,000 interactive games, worksheets, hands-on activities, and lessons. Education.com joined the IXL Learning family of brands in 2019.

Education.com Awards Scholarships to 3 Promising Educators

Aspiring teachers Marigold Giannetta, Lorayne Medina, and Jenna Rappaport honored with scholarships to put toward their education.

SAN MATEO, Calif. – March 16, 2020

Education.com, the leading online education destination for teachers, parents, and homeschoolers looking to help their children succeed in school, today announced three new scholarship recipients.

Every six months, Education.com selects winners for its scholarships. The Empowered Future Teachers Scholarship honors undergraduate or graduate students pursuing careers in early education, and the Building the Future Scholarship recognizes low-income or minority undergraduates who plan to become educators. More details about the scholarships are available at https://www.education.com/scholarships/.

“We started our scholarship program three years ago to help support future outstanding educators,” says Education.com General Manager Rich Yang. “The stories of aspiring teachers are incredibly inspiring. We are proud to help exemplary educators like Marigold, Jenna, and Lorayne complete their education, and we look forward to continuing our support of deserving future teachers.”

The $10,000 Empowered Future Teachers Scholarship has been awarded to Marigold Giannetta, a master's student at Rutgers University pursuing a degree in Education. During Giannetta’s childhood, school was a safe haven, where she could escape the difficulties of her home life. Giannetta wants to pursue teaching in order to instill her love for learning in her students and positively impact their lives the way her teachers impacted hers.

“I am extremely grateful to be selected as a recipient of this generous scholarship,” Giannetta says. “This scholarship is a reminder that education is not a path to be traveled alone, but rather a community, where, when we support each other, we allow ourselves to grow as learners and as educators.”

The two recipients of the $5,000 Building the Future Scholarship are Lorayne Medina and Jenna Rappaport. Medina is studying Interdisciplinary Studies (K-8) at Western Governors University, where she is a senior. As a young migrant from Cuba, Medina’s elementary school teachers played a huge role in helping her adjust to a new language and culture. Now, she wants to be just like the supportive, attentive, and inclusive teachers she had growing up.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, and the journey to achieving my dream has not been an easy one,” Medina explains. “I look forward to continuing to grow as a teacher and to creating a culturally responsive classroom, where I can develop my students’ love of learning and inspire them to go after their dreams.”

Rappaport is a freshman at the University of Portland studying Elementary Education. After her high school teachers helped her through several years of adversity, Rappaport has emerged stronger and is determined to become a 5th grade teacher, so she can help her own students thrive during difficult times.

“Through the turmoil of my unstable emotional, medical, and home life, I always had school, my teachers, and my love for education,” Rappaport says. “I am excited, as a future educator for the children of tomorrow, that I will be able to provide such care to my students and be there for them, as my teachers were for me.”

Each year, Education.com awards $45,000 in scholarships to exemplary high school, undergraduate, and graduate students working toward education-related degrees. In the future, the Building the Future Scholarship will be a $10,000 prize awarded to one winner twice per year, and it will be open to undergraduate and graduate students who have faced adversity on their journeys to becoming teachers. Details about each scholarship and how to apply can be found at https://www.education.com/scholarships/. The next application deadline is June 30, 2020.

ABOUT EDUCATION.COM

Over 23 million parents and teachers worldwide have joined Education.com since its early learning platform launched in 2015. Education.com's curriculum is comprehensive, covering core skills across math, reading, writing, and more. Designed with flexibility, it can be tailored to every child's unique interests and needs and can be accessed across a variety of digital platforms. Parents and teachers can follow Education.com's guidance step-by-step, curate their own curriculum, and dive deeply into specific areas with more than 30,000 games, worksheets, hands-on activities, and lessons.

IXL Learning Acquires Learning Resources Platform Education.com

IXL expands offerings through Education.com’s worksheets, games, lesson plans and more

SAN MATEO, Calif. — November 18, 2019 — Today, IXL Learning, the K-12 personalized learning platform used by 8 million students, announced it has acquired Education.com, the leading online education destination serving more than 23 million teachers, parents and homeschoolers.

“Everything we do at IXL is motivated by one thing: improving learning for all students,” said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning. “With a high-quality and well-rounded collection of resources for educators and students, Education.com is a wonderful complement to IXL. We are excited to welcome them to the IXL family and to be able to give learners even more ways to build their knowledge, curiosity and confidence.”

Founded in 2006, Education.com offers more than 30,000 digital and printable learning resources for pre-K to 5th grade. Covering over 800 skills in math, language arts, science, social studies and more, Education.com’s materials are developed by experienced educators, are aligned to Common Core standards, and offer students multiple ways to engage with learning:

● Worksheets: Thousands of printable worksheets make learning fun for students. Budding readers, for example, can tackle the Alphabet Dot-to-Dot worksheet, where they’ll connect letters in order to draw a doghouse around a cute dog character.

● Online games: Hundreds of engaging games featuring friendly characters and vibrant visuals appeal to children of all ages. Learners can sharpen their math, reading, and writing skills with whimsical games such as Flipping Pancakes Fractions and Sight Words Balloon Pop.

● Lesson plans: Created by teachers, for teachers, Education.com’s ready-made lesson plans make it easy for classroom educators and homeschoolers to provide meaningful instruction to their students.

● ...and much more: Education.com’s learning library also includes hands-on activities, educational songs, and interactive stories.

“Education.com’s mission is to create experiences that inspire curiosity and a passion for learning,” said Rich Yang, CEO of Education.com. “Joining forces with a like-minded organization such as IXL will better enable us to achieve this vision and help even more students reach their potential.”

This announcement follows IXL’s 2018 acquisition of ABCya, the creator of more than 400 educational computer games and apps for kids.

Founded in 1998, IXL Learning’s flagship product is IXL, a personalized learning platform that helps teachers and parents reach every learner and help them achieve more. Featuring a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, the IXL Continuous Diagnostic, personalized guidance and real-time Analytics, IXL is proven to improve learning outcomes for all students.

About IXL Learning

Currently used by 8 million students and by schools in 95 of the 100 top districts, IXL is an integrated learning platform that effectively supports personalized learning in math, English language arts, science, social studies and Spanish. With more than 60 billion questions asked and answered around the world, IXL is helping schools successfully use technology to improve education. To learn more about IXL, visit www.ixl.com, facebook.com/IXL and twitter.com/IXLLearning.

About Education.com

Over 23 million parents and teachers worldwide have joined Education.com since its early learning platform launched in 2015. Education.com’s curriculum is comprehensive, covering core skills across math, reading, writing, and more. Designed with flexibility, it can be tailored to every child’s unique interests and needs and can be accessed across a variety of digital platforms. Parents and teachers can follow Education.com’s guidance step-by-step, curate their own curriculum, and dive deeply into specific areas with more than 30,000 games, worksheets, hands-on activities, and lessons.

Education.com Announces Winners of Scholarships for Aspiring Teachers

The online education destination grants award opportunities for aspiring teachers Annalise Oertwich, Aline Pham, Meagan Pittelko, and Vickie Thomas.

SAN MATEO, Calif. – August 30, 2019

Education.com, the leading online education destination for teachers, parents, and homeschoolers looking to help their children succeed in school, today announced four new scholarship recipients, including the first winner of the From Classroom to Classroom Scholarship.  

Every six months, Education.com selects winners for its Empowered Future Teachers Scholarship for undergraduate or graduate students pursuing careers in early education and its Building the Future Scholarship for low-income or minority undergraduates. This June, Education.com introduced a new annual scholarship for high school seniors planning to study in the field of education, called From Classroom to Classroom. More details about the scholarships are available at https://www.education.com/scholarships/.

The $10,000 Empowered Future Teachers Scholarship has been awarded to Meagan Pittelko, a master's student at Arizona State University pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Instruction and Curriculum. “I feel grateful for the support that Education.com has provided to me,” Pittelko says. “This scholarship will allow me to continue growing and developing my understanding of early childhood and special education through coursework and collaboration with my colleagues.”

The two recipients of the $5,000 Building the Future Scholarship are Vickie Thomas and Annalise Oertwich. Thomas is an incoming sophomore at Liberty University studying Early Childhood Education Interdisciplinary Studies. She is excited to finally pursue her lifelong dream of teaching elementary school students, after years of putting others’ needs ahead of her own career goals. “Winning this scholarship means that my dreams are finally within reach,” she says. “This will enable me to attain my degree and walk in my life’s purpose: educating the next generation.”

Oertwich is studying Elementary Education at Linfield College in Oregon, where she will be a junior this fall. The racism that she experienced growing up fuels her drive for equality and individuality in her future students.“I remember the feeling of being ‘different’ and an ‘alien’ among many people who were supposed to be my peers, and I never want any child to feel that way. Every child needs to feel like they belong in education, no matter their circumstances or backgrounds. I will never stop advocating for social justice and equity in education,” Oertwich explains.

The first-ever $5,000 From Classroom to Classroom Scholarship has been awarded to Aline Pham, a rising freshman at the University of California at Irvine pursuing a degree in Education Sciences. “Although my dream has always been to become a teacher, aspiring educators do not always receive enough social or financial support to make their dreams a reality,” Pham says. “I am incredibly thankful to have found a community that will support me as I step into my first classroom.”

“Our scholarship program supports future educators who have what it takes to become top-notch teachers, despite challenges that have gotten in their way,” says Co-CEO Todd Schwartz. “Teachers play such a vital role in the growth, development, and success of today’s children. This is why Education.com is committed to supporting future and existing educators to reach their potential. We are honored to help deserving students like Meagan, Vickie, Annalise, and Aline as they pursue careers in teaching.”

Each year, Education.com awards $45,000 in scholarships to exemplary high school, undergraduate, and graduate students working toward education-related degrees. Details about each scholarship and how to apply can be found at https://www.education.com/scholarships/. The next application deadline is January 1, 2020. 

ABOUT EDUCATION.COM

Over 20 million teachers and parents worldwide have joined Education.com since we launched our early learning platform in 2015. Our curriculum is comprehensive, covering core skills across Math, Reading, Writing, ELA, Science, and more. Education.com is designed with flexibility, so it can be tailored to every child’s unique interests and needs. Parents and teachers can follow our guidance step-by-step, create their own curriculum, or deep-dive into specific areas with more than 30,000 games, worksheets, activities, and lessons.

For additional information about the Education.com Scholarship Program, please visit https://www.education.com/scholarships/