The document summarizes the creation and impact of a media festival organized by students in the Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) program at Carencro High School. Parents of AOIT students came up with the idea for a festival to showcase student productions. The highly successful inaugural event was student-run and included elements like a red carpet, awards, and support from local businesses. The festival generated significant positive publicity for the AOIT program and led to increased community support, including new internship opportunities for students.

1. CHS Academy Of Information Technology VIDEO & ANIMATION FESTIVAL

2. Create a Community Buzz! How To Turn Student Productions into a Media Festival

5. It all started as a routine class project. It evolved into something no one expected. It was a learning experience.

6. How was the idea conceived? In pursuing a challenging program for their students, the director and co-director, devised a program that all students could contribute to.

7. The result was a spectacular Academy Awards style event complete with red carpet, statuettes, limousines, and search lights. Afterwards, a reception was implemented by parents complete with student run activities.

8. How Did We Do This?

9. AOIT Parent Organization Inaugural Meeting ~January 2007~

10. An Idea is Born!

11. Parental Support

12. Connie Logan Bekki Miller Judy Stelly Elmer Slagle Maragret Treuil Shelia Williams Keana Zerangue Melanie Barousse Andrea Boudreaux Henry Barrett Dorothy Beauregard Robin Boudreaux Melinda Broussard Leslie Cathey Carla Champagne Lori Courville Dolores Cormier Vicky Comeaux Jackie Dubose Carol Derouen Monique Foreman Lisa Fornett Judy Fontenot Lucy Guidry Lynn Goulas Henrietta Hilbun Extra Special Thanks to these AOIT Parents

15. Dads helped too!

17. Student Involvement!

21. Production Crew Kit Becnel, CHS Faculty-Producer Joel Hilbun, CHS Faculty-Multimedia Director Guy Broussard, Cinematography Student-Technical Director Dustin Arceneaux, CHS Student-Audio Engineer/Editor Ben Cathey, CHS Student-Lighting Operator

22. Garret Derouen, CHS Student-PowerPoint Operator Keith Blanchard, CHS Student-Pre show Slideshow Kiashia Brown, CHS Student-PowerPoint Creator Jesse Heath, CHS Student PowerPoint Template / Graphics Designer Shawn Boudreaux, CHS Student-Video Assistant Keith Blanchard, CHS Student-DJ/ Exterior Sound Jeff Blackwell-Announcer

23. The students completely produced and flawlessly executed the entire event to the delight of the audience.

24. How did the students respond to the event?

32. Community Support

33. Rodney Artigue Randy and Melinda Broussard Karl and Susan Guidry Judy and Randy Stelly Acadiana Open Channel Blackwell Communications Group Chick-fil-A LaFonda Old Vogue Mulate’s Cajun Restaurant Ruth’s Chris Steak House AOIT/CHS Parents/Students/Faculty Special Thanks

34. Corporate Sponsors Big Boy Fences Broussard Construction Company Sterling Limousines Inc. Lafayette Coca-Cola Bottling

35. The Lasting EFFECTS

36. Numerous articles in local papers.

37. Reader cites 'all that is right with our schools‘ On March 24, I attended an event at Carencro High School's newly renovated Little Theater that was among the finest that I have seen. I attended an Academy Award-style digital media competition put on by the Academy of Information Technology. It was unfathomable that in just two months, these students worked to create the finest digital media I have ever seen. It was obvious to all present that these students are far more than computer literate. The AOIT co-directors, Kit Becnel and Joel Hilbun, visionaries in their field, planted a seed with the parents of the AOIT students, and stepped back. The parents not only ran with the idea, but they soared. The event was parent-driven, from the program ideas and format to the reception. The computer savvy Becnel and Hilbun also have business sense. The expert assistance of Chris Wotipka, The Daily Advertiser and other businesses brought this dream to fruition. A Reader's Choice Award, with more than 1,000 in the public voting, was presented to Bishop , the best film of the evening. When Ms. Rath, CHS principal, thanked the parents for entrusting their children to the AOIT at CHS, I thought that the AOIT parents made one of the best leaps of faith I have witnessed in a long time. I believe all in attendance would agree. Rebecca S. Kreamer Lafayette Letters to the editors “ It was unfathomable that in just two months, these students worked to create the finest digital media I have ever seen.” “ The AOIT co-directors, Kit Becnel and Joel Hilbun, visionaries in their field, planted a seed with the parents of the AOIT students, and stepped back.” “ When Ms. Rath, CHS principal, thanked the parents for entrusting their children to the AOIT at CHS, I thought that the AOIT parents made one of the best leaps of faith I have witnessed in a long time. I believe all in attendance would agree.”

38. From: Keith Thibodeaux Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 Dr. Easton I would like to personally thank you for your continued support of the technology and business academies within LPSS. As an advisory board member of the Academy of Information Technology, and through my work with TechSouth, I have been involved with both academies and cannot say enough about the professionalism and enthusiasm with which the programs are administered. It too true vision of the staff to bring these academies from idea to reality. This is but one more example of what the spirit of our parish and our school system is all about. In my role as the CIO of Lafayette Consolidated Government, former 2-year Chair of Zydetech and former 3-year Chair of TechSouth, I know what it takes to accomplish the goals that I witness these programs achieving on a daily basis. I also know they could not have done it without the support of the LPSS leadership. I am pleased to offer my support to your Magnet School Assistance Grant Program. Your past track record clearly proves that you will deliver on the goals of that program and that an investment with LPSS is a wise and safe one. Keith Thibodeaux CIO, Lafayette Consolidated Government Letters of support from community leaders and other officials who either saw the program or heard about it from attendees.

39. Representatives from the School Board presented glowing remarks to the parents involvement and the students efforts in creating the event.

42. Three months after the event, the community was still a buzz with positive publicity and recognition while the number of inquiries about the AOIT program continued to pour in.

43. AOIT students assist TechSouth AOIT was given booth space and provided student volunteers to assist the conference.

44. AOIT students assist TechSouth Much of the talk around the AOIT booth was the amount of effort that the students put into the Media Festival. Many exhibitors commented that the AOIT booth was probably the most visited.

45. AOIT students assist TechSouth Originally published May 6, 2007 [email_address] For the fourth year, technology industry leaders from across the country will gather in Lafayette this week to help area business learn how to better integrate technology into their workplaces. "TechSouth is really a gathering of people interested in applying technology primarily to businesses," said Keith Thibodeaux, chief information officer for Lafayette Consolidated Government and the founder of the three-day TechSouth summit. "The main interest in it comes from business people," Thibodeaux said. "It doesn't necessarily have to be the people who work in technical jobs, either. What we focus on is applying technology and explaining how to use the different programs and devices that are out there." Thibodeaux said the idea of a technology summit was bandied about several years ago, but it took awhile for the event to get off the ground. "We had talked about an event that would tie in technology and Festival International, but it was always too costly," Thibodeaux said. "Then one year, I went to a regional technology event in Pensacola, Fla., and that ended up being the model. At first, we didn't have a single person who had done an event professionally before, but all of a sudden, it was off the ground and has been growing ever since." This year, Thibodeaux said TechSouth will feature 61 exhibitors, more than 40 seminars, three keynote addresses for more than 300 people and will attract 24 sponsors and more than 1,500 attendees. Thibodeaux said TechSouth organizers are expecting above-average attendance this year. "It's bigger than it's ever been, so much so that we've had to create new booth spaces," Thibodeaux said. "It's really nice because last year attendance was down because a lot of people were still dealing with the hurricanes. We've really bounced back this year." AOIT participation generated many letters of thanks from both the conference sponsors and the attendees.

46. Through contacts made at the TechSouth conference at least 10 additional intern positions were made available to students. These contacts in turn further expanded the AOIT program’s presence in the business community.

47. A study in LITE One of the many success stories this summer has been the partnership between the AOIT program and the LITE Center.

48. The problem was that there was no funding available to pay the students.

49. The students sell themselves at TechSouth.

50. $7200 Grant for Intern Funding

51. Other interns were placed in IT jobs in various businesses around the city. Some employers have offered the students part time jobs once their internships have been completed.

53. Real World Impact Total internships: 26 Individual hours spent in workplace environment: 180 (5 Working weeks = 40 weeks of class time) Total Intern man hours to businesses: 4680

54. Real World Impact Total Internships: 26 Average amount paid to student: $7.00 / hour Total economic impact: $33,000+ 100% Placement

55. Real World Impact Were 100% of these internships due to the attention that the Media Festival created for the AOIT Internship program? Were a substantial number of internship positions created due to the positive attention given to the AOIT program by the local media and community buzz? Were a substantial number of internship positions created due to the positive reactions from AOIT’s presence at the TechSouth conference? NO! YES! YES!

56. Whereas the internship program sponsored by the AOIT program is definitely something that is right with our schools, going above and beyond the normal curriculum with parental involvement and community support creates a buzz that grows louder and louder each day.

57. To explain details of the Media Festival concept... Joel Hilbun Co-Director CHS AOIT

58. The ORIGIN of the Media Festival idea

59. Video of Joel’s speech at Festival telling how the idea began; overlay video with name and title

60. WHAT were the factors leading to success?

61. In reflecting back on what made our Festival a success, we discovered that these factors were essentially the same factors which make for a successful Academy

62. Factors for Success Thinking “outside the box” Strong vision, dedicated leadership and lots of planning Student-centered activities Administration willing to let us take a chance Faculty buy-in Active and supportive parent organization Key community involvement Students in charge as much as possible and where appropriate Creative use of technology to improve activities

63. WHAT were the specific components of the media festival?

64. Activities Prior to Awards Ceremony Student animations and videos were created in and out of class. All students viewed all Festival entries during school. Entries were judged by local professionals using a web-based evaluation system. Local newspaper hosted a Readers’ Choice Contest on their web site.

65. Activities Prior to Awards Ceremony The show flow, program, video, and music for Awards Ceremony were developed by students and community experts. Nominees and student workers did a run-through of the ceremony during school the day before the ceremonies.

66. Activities on the Day of the Awards Ceremony Faculty, students, parents, and other community volunteers helped decorate and set up for the Awards Ceremony and Gala/Reception. Nominees, their parents, and special guests attended the Awards Ceremony. A Gala/Reception was held after the Ceremony.

67. Categories, Awards, Rules, and Rubric

68. Categories Major Categories Slideshow Video Animation Categories were subdivided by: Entertainment vs. Instructional Entry duration

69. Special Awards All entries were eligible for these special awards: Best Special Effects Best Technical Quality Best Storytelling Best Sound Track Daily Advertiser ’s Readers’ Choice

70. Daily Advertiser ’s Readers’ Choice Award Our local paper placed our 5 top videos on their web site and asked viewers to vote for their favorite. The paper considers 100 votes on a poll as a successful poll; our videos garnered 1000 votes. The paper made a presentation at the Awards Ceremony to the winner.

71. Awards First place awards were presented to each Category and Special Award winner. Second and third place awards were given, depending on the number of entries in each category.

72. Regulations Various regulations, concerning eligibility, video content, credits, copyright, etc. were posted on the web site.

73. Judging Rubric Posted on web site ahead of time Major components Purpose Originality of Concept Editing Technical Quality of Image Cinematography Technical Quality of Sound/Music Sound track Overall Impact

74. Judges Ed Bowie – Acadiana Open Channel Executive Director Marcus Brown – Independent Video Producer Yoen Choi - Professor of Graphic Design & Animation at University of Louisiana at Lafayette Wendy Cicciu - Independent Video Producer Jana Godshall – Executive Director of the International Digital In Development eXpo (IDIDX) C.E. Richard - Head of Cinematic Arts Workshop at University of Louisiana at Lafayette

75. Student Responsibilities

76. The videos and animations that were the basis of the Festival A poster for the Festival The Powerpoint presentation used to announce nominees and entries in the Awards Ceremony The music played while speakers and nominees came on stage Students Created:

77. Ran the sound board during the Awards show Ran the winning videos, the announcement Powerpoint, and the video switcher Controlled the lights Presented the awards to the winners During the Awards Ceremony, students…

78. Web Database Component

79. Information about the entries was entered and managed using a web-based database. Web pages written with php scripting language MySQL database Web Database Summary

80. Uses of Web-Based System Students submitted their entry application forms through our web site. Judges submitted their evaluations on-line. We were able to print out winners, excused lists of participants, etc.

81. Screen Shot of Application Page

82. Screen Shot of Entry Listings

83. Screen Shot of Entry Summary

84. Screen Shot of Judging Page

85. Screen Shot of Individual Results

86. Screen Shot of Judging Summaries

87. Kit Becnel & Joel Hilbun www.carencroaoit.org QUESTIONS & ANSWERS [email_address] [email_address]