This session will showcase a NAF high school information technology conference where students and teachers have the opportunity to network with business community partners and raise significant amounts of money. Tech Fest is a signature event coordinated by the business advisory council where students attend workshops, hear from keynote speakers and visit an exhibit hall where the sponsors highlight their companies. Tech Fest connects the classroom to the business community!
4. #NAFNext2014
Have you heard ……
“It takes a village to raise a child?”
Well …..
“It takes a village to raise $$$$$$”
5. TechFest: It’s Your High Tech
Community; Get into IT
Demetria Faison, Principal
RT Hillery, Business Advisory Council Chairman
Lou Reents, BAC Fundraising Chair
Cathy Alper, Career Specialist
Becky Fry, Technology Facilitator/Teacher
croomsaoit.org
6. Audience Polling:
What is your title?
1. District Administrator
2. School-based Administrator
3. Academy Director
4. Teacher
5. Business Leader
6. Other
7. Crooms AOIT Profile
• Information Technology
Academy
• 650-700 students
• 69% male; 31% female
• 44% free/reduced lunch
• Small and diverse
school environment
• Open enrollment
8. Standard 2: Support for Learning -
Advisory Board members actively
support teachers and help students
attain increased levels of college and
career readiness.
Standard 3: Support for Sustainability -
Advisory Board provides support to
develop and sustain the academy.
NAF Standard: Advisory Board
9. • Programs include computer
programming, web design,
network systems technology,
multimedia design
technology and game design
• IT industry certifications
• Expansive opportunities to
earn college credit
• New this year: AA Degree
Information Technology
Academic Rigor with an IT emphasis
11. History of TechFest?
TechFest I – October 2006
TechFest II – October 25, 2007
TechFest III – April 3, 2009
TechFest IV – April 1, 2010
TechFest V – March 17, 2011
TechFest VI – March 2, 2012
TechFest VII – March 21, 2013
TechFest VIII – March 13, 2014
TechFest IX – March 12, 2015
Grand Total: $144,777.56
12. • History of unsuccessful fundraisers
• Idea of a conference emerged after job
shadow visit to the Interservice/Industry
Training, Simulation and Education
Conference (I/ITSEC)
• Initially planned as a Saturday conference
• Evolved into a half-day conference during
the school day
The Evolution of TechFest
15. • Lecture format
• 40-minute presentation
• 300 hundred students
• Seniors and freshmen
• Juniors and sophomores
Keynote Presentation Structure
16. Keynote Presenters
BROOKS R. KIMMEL
Vice President and Chief
Scientist
DR. MICHAEL R. MACEDONIA Dr. Mansooreh Mollaghasemi
founded Productivity Apex
(PAI). Also Associate
Professor in the Department
of Industrial Engineering
and Management Systems
at the University of Central
Florida
17. Keynote Presenters
Dr. Erica Pooler, Author
Cards of Life
Dr. Arielle Drummond,
Research & Development
Engineer CircuLite, Inc
Lucas Boyce, Director of
Community Relations,
Multicultural Insights, &
Government Affairs for
Orlando Magic
19. How do we determine the
content for TechFest?
• Students surveyed during advisement
period
– Hot topics in technology
– Students’ personal interests
• Business Advisory Council members recruit
speakers
20. How are the students’
schedules developed?
• Advisement lesson
– Students select workshops by grade level
– Each grade level receives a time slot for the
Exhibit Hall
• Integrated Learning Specialist develop
schedules and distribute back to students
during the Advisement period
21. • Small groups
• Classroom or computer lab
setting
• 85-minute sessions for grades 9
and 10
• 40-minute sessions for grades
11 and 12
• Limited to 25 students
Workshop Structure
32. TechFest Through the Years
TechFest I $9,253.24
TechFest II $14,250.00
TechFest III $17,250.00
TechFest IV $18,250.00
TechFest V $13,050.00
TechFest VI $22,443.00
TechFest VII $22,849.50
TechFest VIII $27,431.82
Grand Total $144,777.56
33. • Recruit the right people – BAC members, Exec Team,
supporting staff
• Recognize them often (you can’t thank them enough)
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help… and ask often
• Start the recruitment of event sponsor and speakers early
• Get into their budget cycle
• Get on their calendars
• Be Persistent!!
• Use a multi-media approach (phone calls, follow-up emails,
newsletters/announcements, work through other contacts)
• Logistics – share files online, leverage documents from
prior events, establish reusable templates for year-to-year
events
Secrets to Our Success
#NAFNext2014
34. Annual Planning Cycle
August
Refresh membership list
First committee meeting
Engage teachers/students
First BAC Meeting
Tour dates set
June
Budget review
Committee review
Preparation for Summer
Retreat
July
Begin Objective Year
BAC Retreat
Review Marketing Strategy
Plan activities and timeline
Set key dates
September
Student Orientation
Open House
Parent Surveys-
Membership Recruitment
May
Final BAC Meeting
Faculty Appreciation Lunch
Sign up for Chairs/Committees
October
Middle school recruitment
BAC supported fundraiser – 5K
Second BAC Meeting
Tech Fest Sponsorship
Recruitment
April
Awards Night
Annual wrap up of business
Evaluation of committees
March
TechFest
4th BAC meeting-
Debrief event
November
Crooms Magnet night
Teach in Day
Tech Fest Sponsorship
Recruitment
February
Open House
Tech Fest Preparation
Continue Committee Work
December
Prepare for TechFest –
speaker recruitment
Check OBJ – new business
Committee Meetings
January
3rd BAC Meeting
Invitations to new business
TechFest –speaker
recruitment
Continue Committee Work
51. Students get authentic work
experience creating marketing tools for
TechFest such as
• Web design – event website
• Graphic arts – poster & bulletin
board design
• Page layout – design of event
program
• Presentation skills – manning
technology booths during expo
Students Help Build TechFest
52. • Student created
• Has registration
information
• Video of previous
TechFest
• Logos of our
presenting
sponsors
Event Website
53. Sponsor Packet to Market Event
- Current poster
becomes cover
of sponsor
packet.
- Advertises the
companies that
participated
previous year.
54. Put your logo on everything
Get a design that works & update each year.
55. This is also an
opportunity to
reach out to
businesses that
may offer
internships or might
join your BAC.
56. • Contest for students in graphic arts
classes.
• Students are given
• the event logo/banner
• A list of mandatory elements: event
logo/banner; slogan; space at top for
sponsoring company; space for
company logos; resolution for print;
sizes 11” x 17” and 8.5” x 11”
• Final posters are narrowed to about 10
• Given to BAC with a Google form for
them to vote.
Set up a poster contest
58. • Winner’s poster gets recognition as
a framed poster at school.
• Poster becomes the cover for the
program and for the future
sponsorship flyers
• Recognized at the BAC luncheon
during TechFest
• Recognized at the BAC Appreciation
Luncheon at the end of the year.
Students benefit
59. • Choose one or two students from
Digital Design to work with BAC to
create the event program.
• Need students with InDesign and Photoshop
skills and attention to detail
• Look for a program sponsor for printing costs
Event has a program
61. • Photographs of event for school
newsletters, marketing materials, website
and yearbook
• Video to record event and build
excitement.
• Authentic
photography,
interview,
and
videographer
experience.
Students create a record of event
62. • Advisement lesson with video of previous
TechFest
• Morning Announcements
• Bulletin Board
• Pictures of previous years event on
plasma screen
• Students choose the sessions they will
attend.
Build excitement for event
63. • Central bulletin board advertises the
companies, keynote speakers and
sessions.
Build excitement at the school
64. • How do we get 675 individual students
scheduled for the event?
• How do we build schedules for 73 staff
members so staff can meet speakers
relevant to their content area and have all
areas of the school covered?
• Students register using a Google form
during an advisement lesson
• Need someone skilled in Excel to pull data
from school database and from the
Google form into one massive file
Logistics
65. • Students select workshops
• Excel Guru pieces together the
schedules
• Faculty Meeting
• Remind teachers to set up room for
someone else to present
• Check equipment is working
• Applied Tech Dept. prepares
displays for expo
• Meet & Greet – hospitality for speakers,
student ambassadors are key
Prepare Students & Staff
66. • Appreciation Luncheon
• Field Day – put on by our Leadership
class
• LANFest – all night gaming event put
on by the students to raise money
for Child’s Play.
After the event
72. LanFest
Gives Back to the Community
Benefits Child’s
Play, a non-profit
which seeks to
improve the lives
of children in
hospitals through
the video game
industry and the
power of play
73. Runs like a business
• Students apply
and are
interviewed for
staff jobs
• Set up the labs
• Apply their
networking skills
• Organize and
schedule a 12
hour all-night
gaming party
74. “Thank you STARS for a productive
year!”
Business Advisory Council
75. Five Committees - Committee Chairs lead
• Fundraising Committee
• Scholarship Committee
• Curriculum Committee
• Job Shadowing/Internship Committee
• Marketing/Membership Committee
Organization of the
Crooms Business Advisory Council
76. Fundraising Committee –
“We can’t survive on TechFest alone.”
Sanford Riverwalk 5K – October 6, 2012 $12K+
Sanford Riverwalk 5K – October 5, 2013 $19K+
Sanford Riverwalk 5K – October 18, 2014 ?
77. Scholarship Committee
• $10,000 given out this year
• Total awarded from 2004-present $50,500
• Total in Crooms Scholarship Endowment - $38,302.02
78. BAC Grants awarded this year:
BPA support $1,000
Principal Support $1,000
Student Ambassadors $500
Dividends Program $500
Mentor Program $500
SCPS Foundation $5,000
Scholarship Committee…cont.
79. Curriculum Committee
Crooms’ 4 year career plan:
9th grade program – Success Skills
10th grade program – Enhanced Success Skills
11th grade program – job shadowing experiences
Summer Internship
12th grade programs –
Financial Literacy
Portfolio Project - Senior Exit Interviews
Teach In Day in November – All grades
