Preparing for "The Pitch"

This week we have been furiously preparing for the Pitch Committee.  While the students are busy preparing their videos and presentations to "wow" the committee, we (Melissa and I) have also been busy coordinating the logistics of Pitch Day.  We will have six district dignitaries serving as the Pitch Committee.  Each individual/group will present to the committee and sell the committee on their idea.

Part of the challenge is simply space and time. For example, we had to decide how many pitches could reasonably fit into the amount of time we have.  We had to scrap the first idea (changing lunch periods and having the time block span three hours) to something more doable.  We decided that splitting the Pitch Committee into two smaller committees would help.  Because of the split, we can now be assured that all of the students will have ample time to pitch their ideas.  We have other teachers cooperating by allowing us to use their rooms to house the kids who are preparing to pitch while we use our own rooms for the actual pitches.  We feel good about the schedule that we developed during our troubleshooting session.

Today we will send out reminder invitations to our committee members with a sample attachment they will be using during the pitches.  Students will be given feedback on their content, presentation style, video, appearance, communication and overall effectiveness in presenting their ideas.  We liken Pitch Day to the television show "Shark Tank" and have used that show as an example with the kids.  Of course, we will also allow time for pitch rehearsals early next week.

We will have more information about Pitch Day within the next few days while we begin preparing for the next step of the process - the Idea Showcase. - Don