Classroom Plus - Minnesota Business Venture - The Stock Market Game - TECH CORPS

APRIL 2007 NEWSLETTER

In This Edition:

BestPrep's Annual Luncheon is May 11
Technology Integration Workshop 2007
Minnesota Business Venture: Just a few more months!
National Grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Classroom Plus Teachers: Get your last requests in!
Summer Volunteer Opportunities
Join us at Arby's Benefit Night!
GoodSearch: Donate to BestPrep everytime you search the internet

Be Part of the Tradition: Come to BestPrep's 31st Annual Luncheon!

Want to learn more about how to get involved with BestPrep? Interested in meeting the students who benefit from your companies donations? Hungry for a tasty lunch and an inspiring presentation? Come to BestPrep’s Annual Luncheon!

Friday, May 11, 2007
11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Earle Brown Heritage Center
6155 Earle Brown Drive
Brooklyn Park, MN 55430

Keynote Address: “The DQ Brand Story and How it Applies to You”
Michael Keller, Chief Brand Officer of Dairy Queen

For 31 years, BestPrep has brought Minnesota education and the business community together by creating experiences that will help students be successful in work and life. On May 11, 2007 we will honor our exemplary students, teachers and volunteers at our 31st Annual Luncheon.

Reservations are $40 for business professionals, $20 for a teacher and one student, and $10 for additional students. Please e-mail Angela Laubmeier or call 763-398-0090 x 230 to make a reservation or for more information.

Technology Integration Workshop 2007

For the fourth year in a row, BestPrep will partner with the Carlson School of Management on the University of Minnesota Campus to offer the Technology Integration Workshop. As a part of this four-day staff development workshop, each participant is paired with a volunteer Business Partner from whom they are able to see workplace and technology skills used within business and industry.

While learning new technology skills and integrating them into their curriculum ranks as a highlight of the week; the ½ day job shadow that each teacher receives from their Business Partner is a true homerun. Through this experience teachers are able to relate real-life examples into their lesson content for their students in a meaningful way.

Applications for teachers are still being accepted; they are available online.

BestPrep is currently seeking volunteer Business Partners to provide this experience for teachers. Each Business Partner is treated to lunch at the Carlson School of Management on Monday, July 30. During this luncheon, teachers and Business Partners meet and discuss the workplace. During the afternoon of August 1st, teachers go to their Business Partner’s worksite.

For more information, contact Bonnie Vagasky at 763-398-0090 x227.

Minnesota Business Venture: Just a few months away!

This unique week-long summer program is a great opportunity for high school students to link their education with the business world. Working together as a “company” (team of students) and being led by a business professional throughout the week is a distinctive structure that allows youth to learn and share information. Guest speakers arrive daily to share their knowledge and expertise with the students. Session 1 will be held at St. Cloud State University from July 15-20, and Session 2 will be held at St. John’s University from July 29-August 3.

BestPrep is searching for interested high school students!
MBV is still accepting applications from students completing grades 9-12 to attend this summer’s program. Due to the generous contributions received at BestPrep, the cost to attend is just $150 (includes all program, room and board expenses). Applications will be received until full. Please share this information with students you know in your classroom, family, neighborhood, church or through other volunteer efforts. MBV looks great on college, job and scholarship applications! Download the 2007 student application now!

“I can't say enough about how relevant the topics covered during MBV relate to life. It's almost a godsend that Mr. Kovach at Eagan High encouraged me to go despite my parents reservations. It's great that MBV is getting out there, the BestPrep reputation is growing and word of mouth is spreading.”
-Kevin Lake, MBV Alumni, Minnesota State Mankato

Minnesota Business Venture is searching for volunteers!
MBV is looking for volunteers who want to share their knowledge with the students at Minnesota Business Venture. There are many different ways to volunteer and many volunteers are needed. Resident Business Leaders (RBLs) are the key to the MBV program. RBLs spend a week at MBV mentoring, guiding and leading the youth through the curriculum. We are also in need of mock interviewers, business plan judges, financial planners and many more guest speakers. If you are interested in volunteering please complete the volunteer form and return to BestPrep. If you have questions, please contact Andrea Hanson.

All MBV questions can be directed to Andrea Hanson, Minnesota Business Venture Director at 763-398-0090 x 226.

National Grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

BestPrep is thrilled to report that the organization was recently awarded a $60,000 grant from the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation. This grant will benefit all four of BestPrep’s business education, financial literacy and career development programs for Minnesota students and teachers.

Focus areas for the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation include financial literacy and education, programs or organizations that help engage employees in charitable volunteer activity in the community, and programs of organizations that bring innovative solutions to community problems.

Thrivent Financial’s volunteer and financial support of BestPrep has been critical to the growth and expansion of the organization and its programs for more than 25 years. More than 60 Thrivent Financial employees volunteer with BestPrep’s programs annually. Thrivent Financial employee Lonnie Sievert served as a Resident Business Leader at last summer’s Minnesota Business Venture program and had this to say about her experience, “I feel very fortunate to work for a company that supports organizations such as BestPrep that is willing to make a difference in the lives of our young adults.”

BestPrep would like to thank Thrivent Financial employees Katie S. Kloster, Chair of BestPrep, and Dave Jones, Community Grants Program Manager, along with all of the Thrivent Financial volunteers involved with BestPrep’s programs.

Classroom Plus Teachers: May 1 Request Deadline for Spring 2007

Please note that the last day Classroom Plus accepts new requests for speakers is May 1, 2007. We will continue to schedule speakers and tours through May 25. Classroom Plus concludes for the school year at the end of May so staff time and energy can be transferred to Minnesota Business Venture. We will try to accommodate all requests made before the deadline.

Please take this opportunity to submit your final speakers for the year via our online scheduling form.

Summer Volunteer Opportunities
Stay involved with BestPrep this summer! Sign up for one of our low-time commitment volunteer opportunities.

Technology Integration Workshop – a four day workshop for secondary education teachers interested in integrating workplace and technology into their curriculum.

Business Partner – Turn your workplace into a high performance classroom by allowing a teacher to learn business trends from you. By opening your doors, teachers see the workplace in action and the importance of staying current and teaching relevant fresh topics that are needed in the workforce. (Volunteers need not be tech savvy.)
o Carlson School of Management, Monday noon – 1:00 pm, July 30th and your worksite, Wednesday afternoon, August 1st, 1:00 – 4:00 pm

For more information, e-mail Bonnie Vagasky or call 763-389-0090 x 227.

Minnesota Business Venture – a one-week residential business program for high school students offered at St. Cloud State University and St. John’s University.

Mock Interviewer – During the week, students complete a job application in preparation for a potential job opportunity. The next step is preparing for the interview process. As a Mock Interviewer, you will sit down with a student and conduct a brief interview, followed by feedback to help them improve. Numerous interviews will be held over a two-hour period. Volunteers are briefed and provided with sample questions.
o St. Cloud State University, Tuesday morning, July 17th, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
o St. John’s University, Tuesday morning, July 31st, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Financial Planner – As the percentage of Americans living beyond their means continues to increase, it is important to help teens understand their financial future and how they can remain financially solvent. Volunteers lead a small group of students in discussions about the importance of effective financial planning. Volunteers are briefed and provided with curriculum.
o St. Cloud State University, Tuesday afternoon, July 17th, 1:30 – 3:00 pm
o St. John’s University, Tuesday afternoon, July 31st, 1:30 – 3:00 pm

Business Plan Judge – Participating as a judge is an excellent opportunity for you to see what students learn at MBV, and to give feedback to the students on a Business Plan that they have worked very hard to create. Instructions are provided for all Business Plan Judges.
o St. Cloud State University, Thursday afternoon, July 19th, 12:30 – 4:00 pm
o St. John’s University, Thursday afternoon, August 2nd, 12:30 – 4:00 pm

Freebies/Giveaways – Everyone likes prizes. Giveaways are used to award students for the many contests and competitions at MBV. Suitable prizes include: water bottles, notepads/portfolios, calculators, t-shirts, sweatshirts, gift certificates, etc. Ideally prizes are given in lots of 15 or more.

For more information, e-mail Andrea Hanson or call 763-398-0090 x 226.

BestPrep's Thinking Arby's

You can support BestPrep's programs just by eating dinner on April 25th!

BestPrep’s programs have been offered to Minnesota students, teachers and schools at low or no cost since our founding in 1976. We continue to look for new ways to keep our cost structure the same as the demand for our programs and services continue to increase.

We are launching a new partnership to raise funds for BestPrep’s programs and we need your help! On Wednesday, April 25th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Arby’s will donate 15% of sales from 10 participating locations to BestPrep. Please see the flyer for locations.

Simply bring the flyer to a participating Arby’s and present it to the cashier in order for BestPrep to receive support. If you forget your flyer, please let the cashier know that you are with BestPrep. Arby’s will then total all sales from the day and make a contribution to benefit BestPrep’s programs.

Feel free to pass this information and flyer on to your colleagues, family and friends that would be interested in participating. Please help make this benefit night a success!

GoodSearch: Donate to BestPrep everytime you search the internet!

Every Penny Counts

Internet searches are a part of daily life. GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to charities its users designate. It works like any search engine and because it's powered by Yahoo!, you get great search results.

Now thanks to GoodSearch.com, BestPrep can profit every time you search the Internet. When you go to GoodSearch.com, simply enter BestPrep as your charity of choice before you search. GoodSearch will then donate a penny per search to BestPrep’s programs.

Please use GoodSearch.com to search the Internet and pass it on to your coworkers, friends and family!

Get Started Today!

1) Go to www.goodsearch.com
2) Type BestPrep as “Who do you GoodSearch for” and hit “Verify”
3) Use GoodSearch for your everyday searches, BestPrep will benefit from each search!