Nominations for high school students can be submitted during September



    LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., Aug. 8 /EMWNews/ -- Disney's Dreamers

Academy with Steve Harvey, an event created to inspire and enrich high

school students, will return to Walt Disney World Resort Feb. 12-15, 2009.



    One hundred teens from across the country with big dreams and

aspirations will be selected to pack their bags -- and their dreams -- and

head to Walt Disney World Resort, where they will learn about careers in

everything from culinary arts to animation, set design and show production

to the business of sports and more.



    The Disney's Dreamers Academy class of 2009 will be made up of teens

who are nominated between Sept. 1 and Sept. 30, 2008. Young dreamers -- who

must be enrolled in high school for the 2008-09 term -- can be nominated by

anyone, including parents, guardians, teachers, church members, social

organizations -- even themselves. Although a high GPA is not required,

students must exhibit a desire to learn, perhaps needing only additional

motivational support to excel. Nomination forms can be found at

http://www.SteveHarvey.com/disneysdreamersacademy.



    A select panel of judges including national radio personality Steve

Harvey, community leaders and Disney representatives will choose the 100

finalists. The Disney's Dreamers Academy class of 2009 will be announced in

November 2008.



    "We received more than 3,000 nominations for the first Disney's

Dreamers Academy in 2008," said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World

Resort. "Due to that incredible response, we're really looking forward to

continuing the academy in 2009."



    During Disney's Dreamers Academy in 2009, the students will participate

in workshops with Disney cast members and executives, hear inspirational

stories from entertainment celebrities and professional athletes, and enjoy

the Disney theme parks -- where they can see, first-hand, the results of

people who turned their dreams into careers as "Disney dreamers." During

the 2008 Disney's Dreamers Academy, some of the guests speakers were Chef

Jeff Henderson, National Football League Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow,

pop/R&B recording artists Fantasia and Keyshia Cole, ESPN commentator

Stephen A. Smith and, of course, Steve Harvey.



    Harvey said Disney's Dreamers Academy "is about inspiring our young

people who oftentimes don't have the chance to be exposed to a variety of

job skills and job opportunities and meet with people in the fields they're

interested in. We want to give our young achievers the tools to become

overachievers -- to make their dreams a reality."