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SpreadingTED
SPOTLIGHT
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Volunteering at TEDx SHAINI RODRIGO Center Editor
We are the first school district to hold an independent TED event. Although, most students on campus don’t seem to realize what an honor that is or recognize the opportunity that has just fallen in our laps
FACE THE CROWD— Senior Christine Smith talks about self-discovery in her speech, “True Life: I have Curly Hair” at the TEDxYouth@Conejo conference. Despite such student involvment, the Performing Arts Center at NPHS was not filled to its full potential that Saturday. (left) The student planning committee receives an applause at the end of the event. NOLA ADEDIGBA » THE LANCER
TEDxYouth@Conejo is no simple production. The program takes months of preparation from adults and students alike. Unfortunately, few from TOHS took the opportunity to receive the TEDx experience. Each job contributes to the overall experience that is centered around and entirely created by CVUSD’s own. Senior Summer Shafer, got a first hand experience. “All the ideas and work came from the youth which is important because none of the other TED events do that,” Shafer said. Shafer was on the Publicity and Volunteer Commission, a division of the planning committee. For the past year, she met with the group for over two hours once a week. “It was definitely rewarding after working on it for such a long time,” Shafer said. “I wish more people understood what an amazing event it is.” She was also one of the several hosts at the event. Shafer had the privilege of announcing the speakers and interviewing them backstage. Shafer was not the only student involved. Senior Jorel Balabala also volunteered to be head of the production crew, managing the cameras and other equipment to record the talks for TEDx. With the ambition to pursue a career in film production, Balabala gained new skills about the industry from working behind the scenes. “It was a really good experience. I worked with a producer from CBS and she really liked my commitment to the work I did,” Balabala said. “I was working with a real producer and in an environment that’s close to the real thing.” Working together with the rest of the crew, Balabala managed to help run the show smoothly, without any mishaps. The crew and committee, however centered the focus on the speakers themselves in order to bring the production to the stage. Speakers had training and rehearsal sessions to review and critique their speeches before the actual conference.
Center Editor
It was the breakfast after the monthly ACT, Area Coordinated Team, meeting, when Jane Carlson, Don Levy and Kate Anderson came up with the idea. The ACT is where the Thousand Oaks, Westlake and Newbury School-to-Career counselors meet to discuss the various events and guest speakers that will happen later and throughout the year, along with representatives from Moorpark College and Cal State Channel Island. The biggest event at that point was the district-held Career Fair, where people in the community spoke about their careers and jobs. But, the committee felt that the fair wasn’t the best thing for the students.
“We felt that some of the careers and jobs wouldn’t be as available when they graduated from college.” Carlson said. One of the benefits of having a TED membership is not just going to various talks, but also getting to hold a TEDlike event, called TEDx. So when committee member, Donald Levy, went to the official TED conference held in Long Beach, they had found their solution. “We had just become the first school district in the world to have an independent TED conference,” Carlson said. In order to hold the TEDx event, they had to follow many rules and regulations. “TED is extremely protective of their image. There are strict guidelines for who can speak on stage and what the topic is about,” Carlson said, “We even had to send a video
TED by the numbers The key facts and statistics on TED
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Conejo Valley was the first school district to have an independent TEDx event
of the event to them for approval.” Nevertheless, their TEDx was successful and Carlson was eager to have another TEDx specifically designed for students to be in control of everything, from the speakers to the video production. “We wanted our students to not just be passive observers of the talks, but to engage in deep discussions about those talks, Carlson said “and what they mean to us.” Carlson ultimately plans to register as a member so that she may be able to hold the TEDx Youth more frequently. “I hope to reach a bigger audience, and engage the community as much as I can and have more students experience the TED videos and the TED talks to spark new ideas, new discussions outside the classroom.” Carlson said.
Sophomore Marley Del Olmo also wants to spread TEDx to his fellow schoolmates. He is planning on starting a TED club on campus. “When I was in seventh grade, my dad and I started watching the TED talk, and I was hooked. I want other people to enjoy them, too.” Carlson also believes that it will take much more marketing to get students more involved in TEDx, through the new club, posters, word of mouth, and TOday. “The marketing part is the hardest, it takes time for the word to get out,” Carlson said, “but when it does I believe TEDx will be amazing. Carlson hopes the next TEDxyouth@conejo to be at Thousand Oaks High School, around February/March of 2014.
TED stands for
Technology, Entertainment and Design.
You have to be a TEDster, having gone Only 250 people to the TED came to the conference, TEDx youth event to hold a TEDx event
Senior Christine Smith exercised her public-speaking skills in her speech “True Life: I Have Curly Hair.” “It’s so much different to lay your feelings on the line in front of a bunch of strangers,” Smith said. Smith wanted her speech to be about finding one’s true identity, regardless of what others might think. She was impressed by her fellow speakers’ take on the theme, “Seize the Moment.” “For me, the biggest impact was seeing other people’s stories. At the end, you see such a transformation that people were proud of themselves and you see that people heard what you said,” Smith said. The crew of high school students and supervisors and set up the whole event, in order to make TEDx available for the Conejo Valley. With Balabala and Shafer, they handled concessions, announcements and filming. After a year’s worth of preparation, the effort falls into four hours of emotion, comedy, truth and achievement. All those from TOHS who spoke, organized or attended, gained both a new insight and experience.
ETHAN LYONS » THE LANCER
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TEDxYouth@Conejo: Start of something new NOLA ADEDIGBA
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What do you think about TEDx ? “It was overall a pleasant experience. I enjoyed the fact that they had free food at NPHS. Perhaps get more speakers from TOHS. A couple of the speakers were touching subjects that I thought were interesting.” — sophomore Irene Jang
“It was overall a pleasant experience. I enjoyed the fact that they had free food at NPHS. Perhaps get more speakers from TOHS. A couple of the speakers were touching subjects that I thought were interesting.” — junior Tim Mosher
the x in TEDx stands for independent
When there are around 154,000 people residing in the Conejo Valley
“The themes don’t look like the most interesting thing, to be honest. It’d be better if it’s more broad, or even more specific, or just an interesting topic. I would probably go.” — junior Alison Cervelli “I was very unaware of what TEDx was about. I’ve seen the posters around, but I was really busy on that day. But if they had changed the date or advertised it more, I probably would have gone.” — senior Iana Smith
and There around are 1034 1300 people worldattend each wide TED of those events in Members have to pay $7,500 per year 2013 for standard membership