CINCINNATI, Ohio — The old adage, “It takes a village,” is true on many fronts, especially in secondary education. A strong community base is the key to strong schools; Alumni Connection (AlumniConnection.com) works to strengthen relationships between the two. Alumni Connection has developed new technology which delivers financial support to high schools so they can fill gaps as states continue to cut educational budgets. Financial streams are multi-layered; the goal is to preserve arts, athletics, and other social programs.
This innovative alumni forum is free to schools. Other benefits include: student scholarship opportunities; and support of associations, boosters, and social clubs on a single web location.
As a testament to the program’s viability, Houston Independent School District, the seventh largest school district in the United States, recently signed on with AlumniConnection.com.
“To date, this is the largest school district we serve,” Kevin Gross, president of Alumni Connection, says. “We provide the solution for schools to build an ongoing support venue that connects, builds, and strengthens relationships within their community.”
And, as media delivery evolves daily, AlumniConnection.com stays on the cutting edge.
For example, in a recent interview with Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, The Washington Post discusses “Yahoo and the Future.” Ballmer believes that in 10 years, there will be no media consumption left that is not delivered over an IP network. “Everything gets delivered in an electronic form,” he says.
Ballmer asserts that he would like to watch his high school basketball games. He knows the games were recorded, yet he does not have access to watch. Ballmer is puzzled by this since his son can play Xbox Live with friends worldwide, yet he cannot have similar social interactions around his beloved childhood basketball games.
Ballmer does not have to wait 10 years. AlumniConnection.com has the technology today. Schools’ entire video libraries are available via the Internet.
“One of the oldest videos a client of ours has is a 1946 state baseball championship game,” Gross says. “Some schools we support have over 3,500 hours of full-length athletic, thespian, and countless other videos online. The quality is outstanding – it’s like watching ESPN Classics, online, anytime you want, but the feature stars you and your childhood friends.”
