High School Students Pitch Advertising Campaigns in AdSTARS Competition at Loyalist College
On June 4th five teams of high school students rose to the challenge of pitching their completed advertising campaigns to a panel of advertising professionals and faculty at the first annual Loyalist College AdSTARS Competition, in conjunction with advertising industry partner, They Integrated and sponsored by QuintEssential Credit Union. The students’ challenge was to create a public service campaign that could be used in several media channels such as radio, newspaper, posters or television. The teams of finalists were from Prince Edward Collegiate Institute (PECI) and Bayside Secondary School.
The winners of this year’s AdSTARS Competition were Kiersten Vandenburg, Brittany Pearsoll and Calvin Terpstra from PECI. Each member of the winning team received $1,000 toward tuition at Loyalist College and $300 from QuintEssential Credit Union. The second-place team members were Valerie Eyers, Alisha Hoard, Tiffany Harley and Colin Creamer from Bayside Secondary School.
“We all worked together to make this happen, with each team member contributing their different skills,” said Kiersten Vandenburg. “I think that because it was a competition we worked even harder, pushing ourselves toward that goal. We spent lots of extra hours after school, working to make it the best that we could. This is my first involvement with Loyalist and it has been great. I think it is an awesome College.”
Rob Garden, the first-place team’s marketing teacher, explained that he had only given the students two weeks to work on the project because he wanted it to be a realistic reflection of industry expectations. “I knew they could do it, but I was delighted with what they did with it. They worked very hard and went above and beyond what was expected, which was important, because that’s what is necessary to succeed in life. The College faculty was wonderful and this competition was a great opportunity for the students. In addition to the preparation that was necessary for their pitch, to speak in front of an audience of their peers and business professionals was an important experience. I think that is one of the most important things for them to take away from this competition.”
“This competition gives our high school students the opportunity to break out beyond the borders of traditional education to tackle real-world social challenges, and to explore an inspiring career direction,” said Ron Harrison, President and CEO, QuintEssential Credit Union. “We know that when it comes to planning for your future a little help can go a long way. Our commitment to provide ongoing support to the young people of our community is a natural extension of what we try to do every day when we open our doors for business. We are an organization that has been built by the community, for the community.”
Media Contact: Marilyn Warren, Communications, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2332; e-mail: mwarren@loyalistc.on.ca or Charlotte Conard, Coordinator, Advertising Program, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2468