Chapman PRA students Kendall Valenstein and Allegra Batista stopped by my office on Tuesday to give us a rundown of some really exciting events they have planned this week. They’re working hard on a campaign for the National Bateman Competition, run by the national PRSSA (Public Relations Society of America), in conjunction with Media Arts chair Janell Shearer, who recently wrote a brief overview of what’s been coming up this week. Today, I want to dive into even more detail about what the students have designed, and a few ways you can participate.

The Bateman Case Study Competition is PRSSA’s premier national case study competition for public relations students, and gives you an opportunity to apply your classroom education and internship experiences to create and implement a full public relations campaign.

This year, the competition takes aim at childhood obesity, a serious health issue affecting one in three American children. The competition’s goal is to “increase awareness among children, teenagers and their parents of the serious short and long-term consequences of obesity, inform them of the steps they can take to adopt a healthier lifestyle and provide incentives to take action now.”
Through research and much creative brainstorming, they created a very robust campaign dubbed “PowerUp” – a name meant to evoke activity and excitement – and pitched it to the local Garden Grove Boys & Girls Club. Thrilled with the team’s ideas, the Club help them to identify a school which could greatly benefit from the campaign, the Morningside Elementary School, and to help bring administrators and teachers into the fold.
So what is it?
The PowerUp campaign focuses around Power Week, starting yesterday and ending Tuesday, with engaging events for the students to foster a healthy lifestyle, in accordance with Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative, and the new “My Plate” nutritional guidelines. The team is producing a professional advertising campaign, complete with logos, branding and identity assets, a blog, Twitter account, Facebook brand page, daily videos on YouTube, and much more.  By the end of February, their efforts will culminate in a book reviewing the process, with analysis of the design and research phases, analytics on engagement and virality, and results from the in-school events.  PowerWeek is packed full of activity!  Here are some quick highlights of ach day:
Wednesday: PowerUp
  • The whole Bateman team will visit the school tomorrow, with special guest nutritionist Jacqueline Winkelmann, MD at the CHOC
  • They will sign a “Pledge to PowerUp,” essentially a reminder to limit junk food, stay active, eat healthy, and educate their families on the issues
  • Receive journals to help keep track of the foods they eat in personal journals, to see their consumption over time
Thursday: PowerPlay
  • American Heart Association is sponsoring “Jump Rope for Heart”
  • A series of games and activities will keep the students active, but also learning, while jumping rope
  • Prizes for the most enthusiastic jump ropers, for example, the kids who can jump rope the most times in a row, or who can “double-dutch” the best
How you can help: The nonprofit AHA, has only 10 jump ropes to give away to students, although over 50 will be involved in the class. The team needs your help to get even more jump rope donations! If you’re a local charity, or charitable person, we can help you get the tools to stay physically fit right in the hands of those who need them — email me directly for more info
Friday: PowerFuel
  • A working chef from local restaurant Sapphire Laguna will stop by the class to show children how to make healthy, tasty food using easy to find and purchase ingredients!
  • The team will set up a display of healthy foods, to help kids branch out from junk food, to find the tasty side of the supermarket
  • The chef and team will engage students in a taste test – inspired by Top Chef – to identify healthy (but yummy!) foods without being able to see them
Monday: PeerPower
  • A career day for physically fit professionals to demonstrate to children why it’s important to stay healthy from a young age, until you’re in the workforce
  • Firefighters will attend, in full uniform, to show how heavy the safety gear is
  • Members of the local ROTC will attend, to show students fun versions of the exercises and drills they perform daily
Tuesday: PowerOn
  • An interactive “Field Day” to get the students moving outside
  • Various Chapman athletics teams will attend
  • Students will have fun with relay races, simple team sports, wheelbarrow races, and more
  • Activities will focus on confidence building games, not necessarily team sports which students may have had bad experiences with if not already physically fit.
  • Pete the Panther (Chapman’s mascot) will be visiting!
How you can help: The team needs even more Chapman athletes to participate, especially the men’s divisions! Are you involved in a team or intramural sport? Enjoy working with kids and sharing your love of activity? Email me and I can put you in touch with the team to help encourage local children!
Stay tuned to their blog, and ours, for more posts and info about how the team’s activities went!