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EdCom may be a one-day event to some, but the idea behind it is much larger and broader.
"We see EdCom being a unique event that can sort of be a hallmark of this community," said Dick Rooker, one of the event's organizers.
This year's educational expo is March 25, starting in the Warsaw Community High School Tiger Den. The opening ceremony is at 9 a.m. with guest speaker and Oscar-nominated documentary director Nanette Burstein. Student presentations take place in classrooms from 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. with the award ceremony at 1 p.m.
EdCom started in 2001 in the Edgewood Middle School gym with 200 Warsaw students participating. Then-superintendent Dr. Lee Harman, Rooker said, had a vision at that time of filling the Tiger Den with participants, spectators and supporters. After the second year of EdCom, it moved to the high school.
"That was a good opportunity for us because that gave us the challenge of filling the Tiger Den," Rooker said. One year, half the Tiger Den was filled. Last year, however, attendance was down because EdCom fell on Easter weekend. This year, the number of participants will be back up to 700 students. And there's room for growth.
"It's really an unfulfilled vision," said Rooker. He said they want EdCom to turn into a community - rather than a school corporation - event. The students participating are taking their interests and throwing themselves into the projects. Those projects may include anything from making a potter's wheel to the science of skateboarding, "whatever they're passionate about," said Rooker. The students, who worked all year on the projects, then put them on public display.
"Look at the risk they have," said Rooker of the students' projects. What if no one likes them? What if no one shows up? What if the projects fail? But the students work on them anyhow, often feverishly.
"Long term, the vision is for adults to participate," said Rooker. The ideal is for people in the community to bring their projects to EdCom and show off projects they've worked on and studied thoroughly.
"Wouldn't it be cool if Warsaw was the educational capital of the state? That might sound unrealistic, but I think it is realistic," said Rooker. Warsaw has plenty of intellectual capital and financial resources. It's all about pulling it together. EdCom also could become an economic event for the city.
"This area has a great future ahead of it and education is a key," said Rooker.
Another idea for EdCom, he said, is for parents to stick around for more presentations then just their own children's projects. There's time enough during the presentation day to see six - Rooker said they want adults to take in as many of the projects as they can.
As for awards, Rooker said, "That's another big change."
The first two years, EdCom was competitive. But the committee found that the competition had a negative effect on elementary school students and their sponsors. If they worked hard and didn't win, they felt their work was all for nothing. The third year, EdCom became a celebration of the students' studies. Every presenter now gets a shirt and certificate.
For high school students, the committee found the students needed more competition. In the fourth year of EdCom, one scholarship of $100 was offered. In 2005, two $100 scholarships were given. This year, $1,500 in scholarship money will be awarded. Rooker said he hopes the amount of scholarship money will continue to grow.
Guest speaker Burstein will speak on her own project during opening ceremonies. Burstein has been filming her documentary "American Teen" at WCHS during the past school year. She planned a year ahead for it and will work on post-production on the project for another six to 12 months. Rooker said Burstein will speak on long-term work, following one's dreams and taking risks.
EdCom itself starts with an opening ceremonies much like that of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Students will march in with their schools, holding up their schools' flags. After Burstein's speech, there will be entertainment and a 10-minute video. A speaker from one of EdCom's supporters, the Warsaw Education Foundation, will briefly speak. Then the students will fan out to give their presentations.
The day will end with the closing speech, a video of the day's events and awards.
But even after the awards ceremony is over, EdCom never ends.
"EdCom as an idea takes place 365 days a year because," said Rooker, "there will always be those who pursue deep intellectual excellence across the year every year of their lives. So, in that sense, EdCom is always ongoing."
