Roaring Success for BEST Team: Blue Eagles Speciality Team Wins National T-shirt Design Competition12/12/2023 The Blue Eagles Specialties Team, or BEST Team, recently won the National Special Olympics Team Shop t-shirt design contest. The design will be featured on a t-shirt sold through the National Special Olympics catalog. Not only did this group win the design contest, but the BEST Team also won a $5,000 grant from the Sweet Repeat Charitable Foundation for The Eagle Closet. The students involved in the t-shirt design contest are in Mrs. Patti Myer's first block class at Clover High School.
The journey began when the Special Olympics Team Shop sent out an email seeking student-led or athlete-led designs for their merchandise. Ms. Meredith Kincaid, the instructor leading the BEST team in their t-shirt design lesson, decided to dive into the challenge. The students had just started learning about the app Canva and how it could bring their ideas to life. While students were skeptical that they could win, they all thought it would be a fun way to see their progress with Canva. Ms. Kincaid stated, "We found out our students won a national t-shirt design competition for Special Olympics. Our 12th graders and 12 plus students worked on designs individually for a couple days, then we decided to take what we liked from a few and merge them into a collective design.” The suggestion to use the Athletes' Oath from the Special Olympics came from student Karalynn Ervin. Before athletes compete in the Special Olympics, they recite the oath which states, "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." Their winning collaborative design is a logo that says "Let Me Be Brave." Ms. Kincaid and the BEST Team also won a grant for $5000 dollars. The class runs the thrift store, The Eagle Nest, and they plan to use the money to repair the store. Ms. Kincaid shared, “We’re going to do things like right now we’re looking at custom blinds because we are open for the public all throughout summer as well (as the school year). That heat can go through those windows because they’re very old.” It’s an important thing to keep the store running because it gives training for occupational credential students. This means that students get training specific in school to move right into the workforce after they graduate. The students learn skills such as working a cash register, stocking inventory, and sorting items in stores that they then could translate into a paying job after graduation. The Eagle Closet is a very important business to keep open and running not only for the students but the community as well. Ms. Kincaid also wanted the community to know more about The Eagle Closet and the BEST Team. The BEST Team makes products in school that are then sold at craft shows and through their Facebook page. The prices are reasonable, and the money made from sales through the BEST Team or The Eagle Closet goes back to the students. Ms. Kincaid explained, "All the money they make from selling things such as dog treats, mugs, and door hangers goes right back to the students so they can participate in things such as the Special Olympics." BEST Team items can be purchased through their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/BlueEagleSpecialties/. Not only can items be requested on the page, but the BEST Team also shares updates about where they are selling locally. The Eagle Closet is located at 402 Knox Street in Clover. Hours may vary depending on the time of year.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |