Going for the Gold

A couple years ago I ran for president of an organization that I'm involved with locally.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but when you run for president - at some point you actually have to serve as president.  This was my year to fulfill my obligations, so it was time to "put up or shut up."

UCET has been growing every year I've been involved.  It really is a great conference and word of mouth keeps us on an upward trend.  I wanted to make sure that we wouldn't see a drop off on my watch.  We marketed to principals, school districts, even a few legislators to get new people to join with us.  Everything was moving forward, and it appeared like a record attendance was going to occur.

Then Mother Nature reared her ugly face.  It hasn't really snowed all winter and the night before our conference it snowed about 7 inches.  Can you believe it?!  It certainly slowed us down, but it didn't halt our progress.  In spite of the weather the crowds still came and we had a turnout of approximately 1250.

As president, I was in charge of the opening session and the two keynote speakers.  I wanted to shake things up a bit and have something more than a traditional presidential address.  A few months ago I enlisted Katie from the Canyons District to help us with a flash mob to kick off the conference.  I gave her two suggestions - let's do something like the intro to an awards show and it should follow the Go For the Gold theme.  I said I was willing to do anything she had in my mind - little did I know she would take me up on the offer.

Katie created a theme song to the conference and enlisted about 30 people to be part of the flash mob.  She scripted a movie where the members of the UCET board would engage in a "tech olympics" while singing the chorus of the song.  I was asked to sing along while wearing a track suit and headband.  At the end of the flash mob I would enter the auditorium while carrying an olympic torch (ipad with the lighter app).  Wow - this was something we'd never seen before and I know it will go down as my legacy for the organization.  Take a look...



The other major part of my duties was to arrange for keynote speakers - the first was a no-brainer.  Rushton Hurley may not be a household name to most of you, but I knew he was a perfect open to our conference.  Rushton is a teacher and technology-innovator from the Bay area.  I first heard him speak a couple years ago and I wanted him to come to UCET.  His presentation was perfect and put us on the right track for our day of technology classes.

Our closing keynote was a bit of a stretch.  I wanted Rulon Gardner as part of our conference.  I know many people out there can't forgive him for quitting The Biggest Loser.  Big deal!   I could care less about his being on a reality TV show.  Rulon Gardner is a two-time Olympic medalist and he had the biggest upset in recent memory in the gold medal match from 2000.  I knew he would be great and he didn't disappoint.  He encouraged teachers to reach out to their students and help them go for the gold.

Another great moment for me at the conference was getting my sister Alicia to be part of the event.  I know she isn't a technologist or a teacher, but her workshop on helping women with their self-image and wardrobe is something I wanted at the conference.  Alicia spoke to a full room of teachers, all women, and one proud brother.  It was fun to have her participate and we really enjoyed spending the afternoon together at the conference.

The two days of the conference were long and busy, but before I knew it, UCET was over.  All the hard work was done.  My term as president was complete.  I can't say how everyone felt about UCET 2012, but it was one I'll never forget.  The board went above and beyond in sharing their time and energy.  The presenters were incredible.  Everyone contributed to making the conference a huge success and it really did achieve the Gold.