Economic Development Week - A Story of Collaboration

Written By: Olivia Heindel, Business Engagement Collaborative, Ames High School
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Students in Ames High School’s Business Engagement Collaborative course have had extraordinary opportunities to innovate with local area businesses and solve real-world problems. 

Some recent examples of the phenomenal projects that have been completed in this class include: 

• The creation of a promotional video for the Ames Chamber of Commerce. The goal of the project was to highlight the uniqueness of the city of Ames and encourage young adults to live here. The video has since been shared with the Ames Chamber of Commerce workforce and relocation contacts, gaining over 1,600 views. 

• Students also worked with the local non-profit startup, Be Rare Initiative, to create a business plan to give to potential investors. The goal of the project was to create a written statement outlining the business, predicting financial forecasts, creating marketing plans and strategies, and a detailed description of the non-profit’s solutions to local problems. The plan will serve as an outline for the business going forward. 

• Students also partnered with Homestead 39, a nonprofit organization in Burlington, Iowa, to create a budget and research plan for a butterfly garden. They examined the best plants, care, and positioning of butterfly gardens in hopes of best supporting the ecosystem. 

• A redesign of the Story County College Access Network (SCCAN) logo and creation of a website has been an activity in which students helped bring a modern look to a nonprofit organization. Students also envision themselves working to create a social media presence to reach the organization’s target audience. 

• Students also familiarized themselves with the workings of the Ames High School Store, The Storm Shelter, to create a detailed video of the screen-printing process. This video will be used to educate future classes on safety and proper workings of the screen printing equipment. 

• Students also collaborated with Rock Rapids Church and Food at First to provide food-waste prevention and awareness solutions to businesses and organizations throughout Ames.

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The Ames High School Business Engagement Collaborative Class has provided thorough and diverse opportunities for juniors and seniors at Ames High School in order to begin thinking about their future. The experience gained will be a tremendous asset to future employers. If you have a project that you would like to propose to this class, please contact Niki Schieffer via email at niki.schieffer@ames.k12.ia.us