Creekside Kids’ Ads Position Young Creators at the Crossroads of Art and Commerce

Creekside sixth-graders once again put their artistic talents to work in the world of business marketing.

Students were assigned to create a newspaper ad for sponsoring businesses. Winners would be published in the Sun Times News. All ads would be posted online. Creekside teachers Jane Webby and Amy Robke organized the project.

“Just two years ago, The Sun Times News engaged the talents of young graphic artists from Creekside Intermediate in Dexter,” says Sun Times News Owner/Publisher Chuck Colby. “Several businesses in the Dexter area signed up to have ads created for them, and multiple students submitted entries for each business.”

Dancers Edge by Mea

“All the students involved in this project are 6th-grade students who are a part of the Summit Learning Community at Creekside Intermediate School,” explains Robke. “Summit Learning is a hands-on, project-based approach to learning with real-world applications, such as this project. We were excited to work on this project with the Sun Times, along with local businesses, as it allowed students to take on the role of a copywriter, graphic designer, and marketing manager.”

“Each student was assigned a business,” adds Webby. “Their assignment was researching the business and deciding what images and phrases would best represent it in an advertisement. The students were not allowed to change their initial assignment. But, when they completed their assignment, they can do another one of their choosing.”

3 Bird by Lincoln B

The students learned about such elements of advertising as logos, slogans, and catchy descriptions. They learned the basics of layout, arrangement, and eye appeal.

“In 2021, 41 Dexter establishments took part,” says Colby. “This year, 72 different businesses supported this unique project, and we engaged over 110 students.”

Each sponsoring business got two or three ads created by the sixth graders. The company then reviews the ads and selects the one it feels best represents them. All the winning ads were published in a special section in the March 13th edition of the Dexter Sun Times News.

Creekside Teacher Jane Webby and Sun Times News Publisher Chuck Colby warm up the crowd for the Grand Reveal. Photo by Doug Marrin.

This year's ads will be posted with last year's entries online at stnmediagroup.com.

“The kids love it. The teachers love it. It’s great for the schools,” continues Colby. “The parents love seeing their kid’s ads in the paper. The businesses love seeing these ads and have a lot of fun choosing the one they want to be published in the paper.”

The project culminated in the “Grand Reveal” on Wednesday, March 13th, the day the paper was published. One hundred excited students gathered in Creekside’s Innovation Center, where Chuck Colby announced the winners selected by each business. Clapping and cheering accompanied each winning announcement. Several talented students who entered more than once won multiple times.

Many businesses stepped up big for the Grand Reveal, providing prizes for their winners and all those who created an ad for them.

“This project helped students demonstrate their ability to communicate accurately and precisely and develop skills with multimedia in communication (both being cognitive skills developed throughout the Summit Learning Program),” says Robke. “Students built connections with local businesses and were able to have an authentic audience for their work.”

The Summit Learning Program is available within Dexter Community Schools for students in 5th - 8th Grades. If you’d like more information about the program offering, there will be an Information Night on Wednesday, March 15th, at 7 pm at Creekside Intermediate School.