Brought to you by the Empire-Advance & Mr. Mitchell’s Grade 5-8 classes at Kola School

ART & ADVERTISINGIN THE CLASSROOM

2 Virden Empire-Advance March 22, 2019

Kalen • Grade 5

256 Main Street, Cromer204-556-2218

www.cromervalleystore.com

Joaquin • Grade 7

Fort La Bosse School Division523 Ninth Avenue South, Virden

204-748-2692

The kids of Kidver singKidver sing

Mr. Mitchell and his class of Grades 5 to 8 ELA students at Kola School participated in the Kidvertising project with the Virden Empire-Advance. Back row l-r: Tyler Mitchell, Jeremias Berg, Lucas Berg, Joshua Vogt, Nathan Archambault, Josia Vogt, Tristin Penner, Marcel Berg, Abigail Archambault. Front row l-r: Kalen Waldner, Joaquin Vogt, Xander Penner, Josie Waldner, Daniël Venter. (Missing: Rebeka Penner, Mathea Lesnar)

Virden Empire-AdvanceMarch 22, 2019 3

Josia • Grade 8

®

sunrisecu.mb.ca

Daniël • Grade 5

15 GOODRIDGE ROAD, VIRDEN | 204-748-2466

How Kidvertising came to lifeA real-world introduction to print advertising for Kola students

By Heather Reimer

When a meaningful co-incidence happens, some people call it synchronicity or happenstance. Whatever it was, the planets aligned the day Kola School teacher Tyler Mitchell reached out to the Empire-Advance and proposed a joint project involving his students and our staff .

At around the same time, publisher Nancy Johnson had been thinking up cre-ative ways to get the com-munity more involved in the paper. One idea was to ask students to create advertising for local busi-nesses.

When Mitchell’s initial email landed in her in-box, Johnson says, “I was absolutely thrilled! We are always looking for creative advertising solutions for our Virden and area busi-nesses and a way to make a positive contribution to the community. Th is checked off both boxes.”

Soon, Mitchell had a three-week project planned for his English Language Arts (ELA) class made up of students in Kola School’s blended class of Grades 5 to 8.

“I wanted them to write with a meaning, not just

produce things for me but create things for profession-als to use on a day-to-day basis, so they can get real feedback from people in that business.”

The Empire-Advance provided a list of businesses that wanted to take part in the project along with some guidelines for the young graphic artists like company slogans, preferred colours and themes, and the exact size of space they could fi ll.

That’s when they en-countered their biggest challenge, says Mitchell -- controlling their impulse to “cram everything” into quarter-page ad spaces.

“Th e paper’s experts said less is more, and white space is your friend, so they took those ideas and changed their original draft s.”

At the end of the project, when the ads were ready to be submitted to the clients for approval, 11-year-old Rebeka Penner said she enjoyed the experience. “I liked the drawing part and creating. I learned you can be creative even in real life.”

Grade 8 student Joshua Vogt, who made ads for the Flower Attic and TL Penner, said the project made him think outside the box, especially when it

came to overcoming road-blocks. “Say you messed up a drawing and had to fi x it or start over. I thought, it’s construction (his client)

so I took ideas from the machines they use and implemented it the way they use it.”

Mitchell believes his stu-

dents got a lot out of the Kidvertising experience.

“I think the biggest ben-efit to them is thinking more creatively. It gets them

to build and work in genres outside their comfort zone instead of just doing what’s easiest for them. Th ey’re expanding their scope.”

Kola ELA teacher Tyler Mitchell helps Grade 8 student Josie Waldner on her ad for Super Thrifty, which you’ll find in this edition of Kidvertising. PHOTO/HEATHER REIMER

4 Virden Empire-Advance March 22, 2019

Jeremias • Grade 8

(204) 748-2303Virden, Manitoba

SUPER SUNDAY! KIDS MEALS START AT $4.99

Abigail • Grade 5

BOSTON PIZZA VIRDEN290 FRONTAGE RD

204-748-6500

Joshua • Grade 8

204-748-1400info@tlpenner.ca154040 RD 58N, Virdenwww.tlpenner.ca

Xander • Grade 6

1st Avenue, Kola | 204-556-2672 | pennerlumber@rfnow.com

L Penner LumberLUMBER/QUALITY BUILDING MATERIALS

Josia Vogt, Grade 8, used a brilliant s

un to

illustrate his ad for Sunrise Credit

Union.

Virden Empire-AdvanceMarch 22, 2019 5

Rebeka • Grade 5

Flower Attic&Gifts 261 Seventh Ave S Virden | 204.748.1869 | 1-866-898-5602

Joshua • Grade 8

Xander Penner, Grade 6, is finessing his ad layout for L. Penner Lumber of Kola.

Joshua Vogt, Grade 8, drew ads for The

Flower Attic and TL Penner. He enjoyed

reproducing the fine detail in the trucks

and machinery.

Students could choose their preferredmedium: crayons, pencil crayons, feltmarkers. Nathan Archambault, Grade 7,enjoyed drawing for his client,Ice Cream Island of V irden.

A few students chose more than one

customer to work for. Abigail Archambault,

Grade 5, designed ads for both the RM of

Wallace-Woodworth and Boston P izza.

Joaquin Vogt, Grade 7, created three draftsof his advertisement for Fort La Bosse School Division, each one more vividthan the last.

6 Virden Empire-Advance March 22, 2019

Josie • Grade 7 Tristin • Grade 5

Twin Valley

Birtle • Elkhorn • Miniota

Rossburn • Russellwww.twinvalleycoop.ca

Marcel • Grade 5

204.748.6282Virden, Manitobawww.louisdreyfus.ca

Daniël • Grade 5

VIRDEN OIL CAPITALSJUNIOR A HOCKEY CLUB

900 Fifth Avenue South, Virden

204-748-4848

Virden Empire-AdvanceMarch 22, 2019 7

Mathea • Grade 8

204-748-2440 | virden.ca236 Wellington St W, Virden

@town.virden @virdentown @virdentown

Lucas • Garde 8

340 King Street East, Virden • 204-748-3409

Josie Waldner, Grade 8, found ways to use

the Internet for ideas in designing her ad

for Super Thrifty Pharmacy.

Tristin Penner, Grade 5, used the image of a home complete with smoke coming from thechimney to represent the slogan of hisadvertiser, Twin Valley Co-op:You’re at home here.

Daniel Venter, Grade 5, looks like a young

ad executive as he ponders the “creative”

he’ll be presenting to the Virden Oil Caps

and Fountain T ire for approval.

a

Marcel Berg, Grade 5, took on the challenge of designing ads for two service companies: RT Jebb Electric and Louis Dreyfus..

The artistic juices were flowing for

Grade 8 student Lucas Berg who came up

with three unique designs for

Your Dollar Store With More.

Kalen Waldner, Grade 5, switched from pencils

to felt markers to get the intense colour he

wanted in his Cromer Valley Store print ad.

8 Virden Empire-Advance March 22, 2019

Rebeka • Grade 5

empireadvance.ca | 204.748.3931 | 305 Nelson Street West, Virden

Marcel • Grade 5

61 Cavendish Street South, Elkhorn, MB(204) 845.2315 | jebbelec@mymts.net

jebbelectric.ca

Nathan • Grade 7

272 KING ST E, VIRDEN272 KING ST E, VIRDEN204-748-2557204-748-2557

OPEN 11:00 AM - 9:00 PMOPEN 11:00 AM - 9:00 PMICECREAMISLAND.CAICECREAMISLAND.CA

Abigail • Grade 5

RM of Wallace-Woodworth Offi ce154023 - PR #257, Virden, MB(Junction of Hwy #83 & PR #257)204-748-1239 | info@wallace-woodworth.com