iChallengeU is a two week program in which high school students work with area teachers and civic, corporate and community leaders to develop a solution to a challenge posed by the community leaders. This summer’s program will operate for two weeks, July 11-22, 2016. Each team of students and teacher/leader will work with its assigned business contact for 40 hours each week.
Week one of the project is the “study” week. The team will examine the issues involved in the challenge and explore alternative, solutions and suggestions for the company as it moves forward. This is the first phase of developing a proposed solution to the challenge.
During week two, the team will develop a “proposed” solution to the challenge. Students will develop a ten minute presentation of the proposed solution which will be shared with the leadership of the business partner on Thursday, July 21. It is anticipated that the team will consider a number of different options during the development of their proposed solution. The team will develop, and be prepared to explain, the rationale that supports its solution.
On Friday, July 22, all teams from the tri-county area, Hillsdale, Jackson and Lenawee, will gather together at Jackson College. All teams will present their ten minute solutions to a panel of judges from the tri-county area. The judges will review all of the presentations and determine which team did the best job of developing and presenting its proposal.
All students will earn two college credits from Jackson College. Members of the winning team will be awarded a $1,000 college scholarship from Baker College , Eastern Michigan University, Siena Heights University and Spring Arbor University.
Student program participants are from the tri-county area and represent Blissfield, Clinton, Grass Lake, Hillsdale, Hudson, Jonesville, Michigan Center, Napoleon, North Adams, Jerome, Reading, Tecumseh, Vandercook Lake and Western School Districts.
Employer program participants include: American 1`Credit Union, Anderson Development Company , Dow Automotive, Hi-Lex, Orbitform and Michigan Works! Southeast.