ASSINIBOIA — From classroom to community, Assiniboia Elementary School teacher Laurie Hawkins is leading the way. The AES teacher continues to inspire students through a community engagement project in kids’ advertising
The AES teacher began this project in the spring of 2020; however the arrival of COVID-19 changed those plans, and that group of students did not get their ads published as they weren’t able to finish the work with schools 小蓝视频 moved to online format.
The student advertisements were first included in the Assiniboia Times in 2021. Businesses, readers and student artists all agreed that it was a big hit. Hawkins said her students are always excited to participate in this activity.
The AES teacher said in an earlier interview with the Times, “I feel it is very important that there is a connection between the school (students) and the community. This type of project provides the ‘real life, when are we ever going to use this in the real world’ situation. When choosing a career, students focus a great deal on what they see in their world – jobs of family and friends – and in the common – teacher, nurse, mechanic.”
Marketing or creating newspaper ads isn’t something that jumps out at younger students as a career. Having this kind of first-hand experience in the work that goes into these details of creating an ad, including potential slogan, catchy saying and artwork, all combine to come up with something eye-catching.
It’s a win-win situation for both the Grade 8 AES class and the community newspaper, as often the only things students are recognized for are sporting activities and big events. The newspaper also gets a fresh new outlook on business advertisements through the eyes, mind and hands of these creative students.
The Grade 8 class is taught the process of ad development, focusing on key elements of a good advertisement, dabbling in computer-generated ads and settling into their creative conclusion of developing a business ad for their home community.
Hawkins says the highlights of this annual collaborative project are the smiles on the faces of her students when they see their work in the local paper.
“The talent of the students – we have some amazing artists, and this is a great way to share their talent. This activity builds a connection to the community,” acknowledges Hawkins.
While some students aren’t convinced their work is good enough to submit, Hawkins says she works with them to wrap their heads around their marketing concept, which can be challenging at this age.
“We talk about colour choice, placement, symbols and look at other ads to see how they come up with ideas, but it is still a tough one, especially nowadays, as students don’t see much for print ads in their everyday lives.”
The AES teacher and leader of this project says she wants to bridge the gap between school and community.
“Youth are often first seen in a negative light, so this is an opportunity to have them shine and have people see the good in them. This is also a bridge to having the students become a part of something bigger than themselves, learning real-life workforce skills and meeting deadlines.”
Students who were part of this advertising project told the Assiniboia Times their favourite part of the assignment.
“Seeing it in the newspaper – Xavier M; Not hard, relaxed period, colouring – Foster W; Leaning about the business, you didn’t know about it before. – Kohen V; Getting to do that ad for my dad’s business. – Erynn K”
Two students outlined their thoughts on why this assignment is important. Mason V said, “Gets you to know about the town and learn about businesses in town that you don’t know about.” Xavier M said this assignment told him how to market instead of having a guy with a sign, colours matter.
Did students experience challenges? Three students told the Assiniboia Times, “Colouring – not good at it — Elliot E; Coming up with ideas, did research to help about the companies. – Foster W; Finding the perfect reference to make the ad look goo – Kohen V.”
Mason V responded, “I didn’t know about the back story to signing up for swimming lessons. I just went.”
Past feedback from local businesses has been positive, as well as readers of the newspaper who enjoy the fresh new outlook on the ads they are seeing while perusing their weekly paper.
