Students Host First Ever TEDx Event at Laguna

This fall, Laguna students are taking part in a semester-long, project-based learning initiative to organize and host a TEDx event that will take place January 31, 2018 at Laguna Blanca School.

 

Students in the TEDx class have organized themselves into teams, including Executive Directors, Business Development, Lead Designers, Communications Directors, Event Managers, Tech Leads, and Directors of Curation. They will be involved in every aspect of event planning, including identifying a meaningful theme, selecting speakers, creating and managing a budget, and organizing professional-level audio and visual coverage so it can be shared around the world.

 

Humanities Teacher Anna Alldredge leads the class and says, “Essentially, the students in this elective will be running their own non-profit organization, top to bottom. And, the final project will be a daylong TEDx event open to the entire Santa Barbara community.”

 

The event will feature 10-15 speakers, all of whom will be vetted through a tight application process and selected by the class members. With TED’s focus on “ideas worth spreading,” the speaker lineup will include a mix of Laguna students, alumni, and professionals from a variety of fields.

 

One of the most exciting things about organizing the event, according to Alldredge, has been the support and excitement among Laguna teachers and students, all of whom have expressed a willingness to help and be part of the larger TEDxLBS process.

 

“We want all of Laguna to feel ownership of this amazing opportunity,” Alldredge says. “The students are chomping at the bit to get going. As a teacher, there’s nothing more exciting than seeing that enthusiasm.”

 

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages.

 

Both Alldredge and Sixth Grade Teacher Allison Armstrong were trained and certified to oversee TEDxYouth events during a TED Women Conference this past year—an experience made possible by Laguna’s continuing education fund.

 

For more information, visit http://www.tedxlagunablancaschool.com/