In addition to educating students about Anchorage, the partnership with CMS has also provided the opportunity for the SBP Class at Central to learn business and event planning skills. The original contest in 1992 was entirely adult generated. Since then, eighth grade students from the School Business Partnership Class at Central have been involved with the tasks that are required to set up this district-wide competition and now run the event almost completely. This includes soliciting prizes from ACVB member businesses, arranging the competition room, securing an emcee, speaking with the media and running the contest as greeters, entertainers and technicians. The Trivia Contest is held for all seventh grade social studies classes in the Anchorage School District. It is a somewhat large event and the entire process gives the students in the SBP class the opportunity to take leadership roles and learn other workplace skills.
The relationship between ACVB and CMS has also expanded to include mock job interviews and job shadow opportunities. These help prepare students for employment and are great experiences for ACVB staff that have even resulted in students’ employment with ACVB.
Each year ACVB and the SBP class at Central Middle School decorate the trees in front of the Historic City Hall building (ACVB Corporate Offices) with white lights. This is part of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce City of Lights program. The “work party” always ends with cookies and hot chocolate in the Log Cabin Visitor Center. The City of Lights program gives everyone a chance to support the Anchorage community and light up the streets of Anchorage!
ACVB and CMS are looking forward to a new development in their partnership. ACVB intends to enter into an agreement as a presenting sponsor to support a new curriculum course with Central Middle School. ACVB’s portion includes developing GeoCache sites within the Anchorage bowl that will be published via a map at the end of the program for summer 2007, and also be noted as an official GeoCache site on Geocache.com. Students at Central will conduct GeoCache research, develop GeoCache sites/instructions/finds, outline a GPS directional map and publish their findings. It is a phenomenal hands-on study course that fits perfectly with ACVB’s mission to develop adventure in Anchorage. The program will get Central students into the field and studying nature, while tapping into a new travel aspect that is taking root worldwide. |
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The partnership between ACVB and CMS helps to establish relationships between students and professionals that can build self-esteem for the students and remind the ACVB staff of the responsibility to be involved in the education of Anchorage’s students.
History of Partnership |
The partnership between CMS and ACVB began in 1992 with the creation of the Wild About Anchorage Trivia Contest. The idea of a trivia contest using the ACVB official Anchorage visitors guide, a familiar item with our visitors to Anchorage, was first shared by ACVB, Best Western Barratt Inn and Dr. Taton, principal of Central. The program was created with the intention of educating Anchorage students about the place they call home, as well as the value of tourism in Anchorage and Alaska. |
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