October 5, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools To Host Certainteed And Saint-Gobain Corporation

Company-supported program improves grade levels and basic skills

October 9, 2007 — Two years ago, through a donation made by CertainTeed Corporation and its parent company Saint-Gobain, the Fairfax Campus / Bridges Alternative School of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools opened a technology-enriched classroom with an innovative program called "Skills for Life" (SFL).

On October 9th, representatives of the CertainTeed Kansas City insulation manufacturing plant and Saint-Gobain will be at the Fairfax Campus, 3016 N. 9th Street, Kansas City, Kansas, at 10:00 am, to receive recognition and thanks from the students and staff who work with the program. Additionally, that evening, the district will express its gratitude at the Board of Education meeting by presenting CertainTeed and Saint-Gobain with a plaque of appreciation for their five-year commitment to fund the Skills for Life Program in Kansas City. CertainTeed has been a major employer in the Kansas City area since 1966.

Skills for Life features a multi-media, computerized approach to learning that youngsters, particularly those in alternative school settings, find appealing and motivating. The program provides customized, individualized instruction to all Fairfax Campus students in grades 7 through 12, enabling them to increase their grade levels and improve their basic skills in language, reading, writing, and math, as well as those needed in the workplace.

SFL has also become an integral part of the Fairfax Campus / Bridges Alternative School credit-earning program that enables students to earn school credits through a variety of activities and special projects. However, the benefits of SFL go far beyond particular gains made in the program itself. Perhaps the greatest impact of SFL is that it enables students to increase self-confidence and encourages them to stay in school.

"We are excited about the on-going relationship we have established with Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed Corporation," said Dr. Jill Shackelford, superintendent of KCKPS. "Through this partnership, they have expressed a profound belief in our students, which will help them to graduate with the skills necessary to succeed in college, and in work."

Through its Skills for Life partner Training Resources of America, Inc., the administrator of the program, the Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation approached the school district to discuss donating the technology and technical assistance needed to establish SFL in Kansas City. Over the past 18 years, Saint-Gobain has established similar programs in Massachusetts, Texas, New York, Washington State, and Louisiana where they also have a company presence. The Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation is committed to helping communities in which they have employees by providing skills and educational tools to children — children who may become future employees.

"We look at our involvement with the Skills for Life program in Kansas City as a true investment in the community and in the lives of those who live in it," said Karen Cawkwell, Vice President, Communications, for Saint-Gobain Corporation. "Our success as a company depends, in part, on our community relationships, so we are eager to take an active interest in the well-being of the residents."

About CertainTeed

Through innovation and creative product design, CertainTeed has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Company, the firm made its slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," which quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is North America's leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, windows, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, walls, ceilings, and access covers. Headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, CertainTeed and its affiliates have approximately 9,000 employees and 70 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. In 2006, the group had consolidated sales approaching $4 billion. The Kansas City, KS, fiber glass insulation manufacturing plant produces products for customers throughout North America and is the largest insulation production plant in the world. It has 420 employees. The website is www.certainteed.com

About Saint-Gobain Corporation

Saint-Gobain Corporation, the $8.5 billion Valley Forge, PA-based manufacturer of packaging, construction products, and high-performance materials, employs approximately 26,000 people in the United States and Canada and operates 190 plants and 150 distribution outlets. The website is www.saint-gobain-corporation.com.

Globally, Saint-Gobain has sales of $52 billion, operations in 50 countries, and 200,000 employees.