Swampscott Students Talk Auction

The Loop

The May 20-23 cable auction is home base on a loop that is the television production education for Swampscott High students.

That loop includes auction preparation, its presentation and the funds it generates for their studies throughout the school year, say television production students and their teacher, Tom Reid.

It's a loop that will propel students to future studies and careers in a world where electronics and digits figure prominently in education and put bread on the table.

Here and Now

It's Tuesday morning, two weeks before the auction, in the television production classroom at Swampscott High.

Seniors Tyler Short and Nick Schultz and junior Chris Thomsen hold off on their review of their Town Meeting coverage plans to talk about the auction.

The phone banks are typcially set up in this room. The adjoining room is the studio where items will be presented.

The students, sitting on a classroom couch, say the auction gives them critical experience conducting a complex operation.

The Auction

Some 300 items will be auctioned, among them a sailing trip around Egg Rock, SAT prep courses, a driver's education course, artwork, a ride to school in a Swampscott police cruiser.

Decisions must be made in real time at the live auction, the students say.

Tyler says directors will choose when to point the cameras at auction items, hosts, phone banks and the big board listing the bidding, Tyler said.

Sound people will make audio adjustments.

Computer graphics or videos will accompany auction items.

Chris says it's important to show the big board with the bidding information as often as possible but not so much that it detracts from the viewing experience, said Chris.

The Auction and Where it Leds

At least two of these students plan to pursue media-related studies in college and media careers after graduation.

In the meantime, the auction pays for cameras and computers they use in their studies and is the main fundraiser for the program.

Along with the experience they gain from auction planning, coordinating, organizing they take away something else from it — confidence.

Confidence earned from completing a marathon production that sustains their studies.

Each night of the auction Swampscott Patch will post a list of the items for sale and the numbers to call to bid as well as the auction times and channels.

Below is a printable form and information on how to help with the auction.

SUPPORT THE STUDENTS’ AUCTION

AND ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS ON

CABLE-TV IN SWAMPSCOTT, LYNN & NAHANT!

*****************************************************************************************************

All sponsors - We’ll run a full-screen message board ad 

for your business for six months on our Comcast & Verizon TV channels

We’ll include information you provide about your business and we’ll add

your logo, graphics from your web site or other colorful visuals

PLUS . . .

$150 Sponsors - We’ll film a commercial for you!

We’ll air it several times a day for six months on our channels

(and also run a message board ad for you as we do for all sponsors)

For anyone who donates items, services, cash or gift certificates worth at least $150,

we’ll come out to your place of business or you can come to our studio and we’ll film a

one-minute TV commercial that we’ll air many times a day from now through the fall.

Dear Potential Sponsor,

Each May, the Swampscott High School TV Production students produce a four-night auction, live on cable TV in Swampscott, Lynn and Nahant.  It’s our main fundraiser, a great learning experience for the students and our most-watched event of the year.  

This year’s auction runs from May 20th to the 23rd on Comcast Channel 15 in Swampscott and Verizon Channel 40 in Swampscott, Lynn and Nahant.  We hope you’ll tune in to bid by phone and win bargains!  See the Swampscott Patch soon for a list of items.  

We also hope you’ll become a sponsor.   All donors receive letters documenting your charitable donations and we also thank business donors by running ads as described above.

To become a sponsor, please fax or mail us the attached form (or email me if you’d prefer an email version of this form).   You can mail us your check, certificate or item now, or we’ll arrange to pick it up later at your convenience.

You can provide information for your ad on the form or we’ll call you later   to discuss it.   Please email me with any questions and thank you for your support of my students. 

                                                                                            Tom Reid

                                                                                            SHS Teacher of TV Production

                                                                                            (781) 941-0007

                                                                                            reid@swampscott.k12.ma.us

Layne W. Millington

Principal

Swampscott High School

200 Essex Street

Swampscott, Massachusetts 01907

TEL (781) 596-8830         FAX (781) 599-2034

        Frank Kowalski

Assistant Principal

Lytania Mackey

Dean of Students & Curriculum Leader

SWAMPSCOTT HIGH SCHOOL TELEVISION

AUCTION 2013 - SPONSOR INFORMATION

  email reid@swampscott.k12.ma.us if you’d rather sign up by email

1) Please print the name of the business, organization, family or individual sponsor:

2) Please print your phone number:

3) Please print your address:

4) Please print your email address:

5) Please print the name of owner/representative, if applicable:

6) If you are making a cash donation, please enter the amount: ________

                                                                AND/OR

7) If you are donating items, services or gift certificates, please list them here:

     DESCRIPTION OF AUCTION ITEM(S)                             ESTIMATED VALUE

8a) All sponsors receive a six-month ad on our cable station’s message board.  See the options on the back of the form if you’d like to help us create the ad or just leave it to us.

8b) If the value of your donation is $150 or higher, would you like us to call you and

set up a time to film a one-minute commercial for your business or organization that we’ll air extensively in pre-auction publicity, during the auction and all summer?

____ Yes        ____ No, just re-run last year’s ad (minimum donation for reruns = $100)

____ No commercial needed - a message-board ad will be enough

Since this is a four-night auction, donating four items maximizes publicity during the auction.  Please maintain minimum value of $25 per item.  Estimated value should reflect lowest available price with all current sales.  We accept used items in excellent condition.  Items should not require expenditures - please offer cash value gift certificates rather than half-off certificates.   Thank you.

• FAX this form to 1-781-599-2034, give it to a Cable Club student,

email it to reid@swampscott.k12.ma.us or mail it to

Mr. Reid, Swampscott H.S., 200 Essex St., Swampscott, MA 01907

• Contact us anytime before 5/23/13 at (781) 941-0007 or reid@Swampscott.k12.ma.us

• Monetary donations: Please make checks payable to "Swampscott Public Schools"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For student use only: Name of Student Contact ________________________________________

Check when: Item(s) Received _____    Full-screen Ad Created ____     Commercial filmed ______        

Businesses and Organizations:

Your full-screen ad will run for six months on our message board in Swampscott

on Channel 15 (Comcast) & in Swampscott, Lynn and Nahant on Channel 40 (Verizon)

Please choose one of these three options to specify the content you’d like in the messageboard ad:

Option #1: Leave this side blank and we will automatically create and run a colorful ad with your business/organization name, phone number, address, email address, website URL and/or logo if applicable.

Option #2: Check here if you’d like us to contact you later to discuss the wording and graphics for your ad: _____

Option #3: Provide more information.  Assume we will use your business name, address, phone number and email address as you filled them out on the front (unless you indicate otherwise).  Fill out some or all of the sections below to add any other information you like us to include:

1) Web Site URL:

2) Your Hours of Operation:

3) Names of individuals (as in “Ray Davies, Manager” or “Ask for Chris”):

4) Additional information, slogan, brief description of your products/services, etc. Please avoid comparisons such as “we’re the best in town” – instead, give factual information about products, services, specialties, upcoming events, etc.

5) Any other comments, requests or suggestions about your ad?   

Families and Individuals

Instead of creating ads for families and individuals, we usually run a more basic screen thanking them.   When we do so, would you like to add a comment of 10-25 words to your acknowledgement screen, such as “Congratulations to Rachel and the Class of 2013” or “Great job, Sean” or “Good luck, Cable Club”?  If so, please write the comment below (or you may request anonymity and we won’t include you in our donor thank-you screens, although we will still send you a receipt thanking you for being a sponsor and specifying the amount of your charitable donation):