Passport to Professionalism: Preparing Students to Represent Our Community

The goal of this project is to equip Golden Gate High School AICE Travel & Tourism students with professional polo shirts that support their participation in authentic, community-based learning experiences. The polos will help students develop a sense of professionalism, pride, and belonging while representing their school and program during field trips, career experiences, and community events. Our custom AICE Travel and Tourism logo will be on the polos. Having matching polo shirts will create equitability, while giving teams of students a uniform to wear as they are leading their student-created event from their own travel and tourism agency that they develop in class. Ultimately, the project will help prepare students professionally for future careers in the travel and tourism industry by connecting classroom learning with real-world experiences.

Throughout the school year, AICE Travel & Tourism students will participate in field trips, career experiences, community events, and visits with local tourism businesses and organizations. Students will observe tourism operations, interact with industry professionals, ask questions, and connect their experiences to concepts studied in the AICE curriculum. Students will also be working in teams to develop a travel and tourism business where they will plan and implement their own event that they will lead a group of students on. They will wear the polos at school on a marketing day, where they will advertise their event to the students. They will then in turn wear the polos on the day of their event. The polos will help them stand out as leaders in the school and in the community. As students wear their polo shirts during these activities, they will represent Golden Gate High School professionally. Before participating in any of these events, students will discuss appropriate professional appearance, communication, workplace behavior, and the importance of being positive ambassadors for their school and community.

The polo shirts that students will receive from this project benefits students by strengthening their professionalism, confidence, communication skills, and sense of belonging. Students will gain experience interacting with adults and industry professionals in the community and will better understand the career opportunities available within the travel and tourism industry. Providing a polo shirt to every student promotes equity. All students will have appropriate, professional attire for all school and community experiences regardless of their family’s ability to purchase additional clothing. The project will also benefit Golden Gate High School and the broader Collier County community by increasing positive visibility for our students and highlighting the career-focused learning taking place at our school. As students visit local tourism businesses, invite speakers into the classroom, and participate in student-led events, they become ambassadors for their school while developing a stronger connection to the community and the industry in which they may one day work. This project not only benefits the students at Golden Gate High School, but it also gives back to the tourism industry here in Collier County through the community outreach in this course.

Funding will be used to purchase professional polo shirts featuring a custom Golden Gate High School AICE Travel & Tourism logo for every student in the class. Each shirt costs $15, and I am requesting 50 shirts. The shirts will be used all throughout the school year during field trips, community and school events, career experiences, industry visits, and other public activities. Providing a shirt for each student will ensure that all students have appropriate, professional attire while representing their school, the community, and the AICE Travel and Tourism program.

750

50 black dry-fit polo shirt with custom logo at $15 each

750