Unique Opportunty for Business Class
On Monday, March 3rd, students from the Business Management class had a unique opportunity to see first-hand what partnership, teamwork and community support is all about.
Although it was a scheduled day off here at school, nine students came to work side-by-side with business and community leaders in preparation for the upcoming SkillsUSA competitions in April. With the assistance of Jaclyn Dugan-Roof, Executive Director of the Bradley bourbonnais Regional Chamber of commerce, a group of ten local representatives from various businesses, education and public service were on hand to share their time and experience with the students.
Students from this class will be competing in the following areas:
- Entrepreneurship - a team event where students develop an idea for a new business, create a detailed written business plan and oral presentation, present the idea to a team of judges and prepare a follow-up solution to a specified problem the business might encounter during its first year.
- Customer Service - an individual event where students demonstrate their knowledge and ability to work with customers in a variety of settings.
- Prepared Speech - an individual competition showcasing the student's public speaking ability on a specific topic.
- Extemporaneous Speaking - an individual event in which students are given a topic at competition, and then have five minutes to research, organize and prepare a 3 to 5 minute speech and present it.
- Promotional Bulletin Board - an event in which students design a bulletin board display focused on promoting the ideas and events/activities of SkillsUSA at their local chapter.
- Job Interview - an event focusing on application and interview skills.
The days activities between the students and business persons ranged from role-playing customer service scenarios to critiquing of speeches to brainstorming about business planning, marketing and finance.
The business advisors spent the day running students through the paces and offering invaluable feedback on strengths as well as areas for improvement. These kind folks helped students develop ideas, character and confidence in a way which is difficult to achieve in a classroom setting. One of the most amazing things about the day was watching how open the discussions were ~ regardless of age, background or positions ~ the students and advisors got right to the business of working together.
The doors opened to these and future KACC students were many and included not just preparation for competition, but preparation for life. The opportunities to promote our programs at the Career Center, to establish mentor relationships with business partners, and to utilize the expertise of the leaders in our own community are endless and I was thrilled to be a part of this exciting experience.
My sincere thanks to the following people (listed in random order as everyone made a great contribution to the day!):
| Name | Business |
| Jaclyn Dugan-Roof | Bradley Bourbonnais Regional Chamber |
| Toby Olszewski | Bourbonnais Herald/Country Market |
| Dr. Don Draake | Olivet Nazarene University |
| Ed Piatt | State of IL Dept of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
| Ken Crite | Kankakee Community College - Small Business Admn. |
| Mayor Gael Kent | Village of Bradley |
| Christine Scivally | Kankakee County Teen Court |
| Mark Argyelan | HomeStar Bank |
| Jan Prayer | Agente Staffing |
| Catherine Meltzer | State Representative Lisa M. Dugan |
To view pictures from the day and student thank you notes, please visit SkillsUSA section of website and read "A Million Thanks!"
