AOIT freshmen market zoo company

Mariane Ghazaleh
Staff Writer

"Zoo board" actively listening to pitches

All AOIT freshmen take a field trip to the zoo, but it’s not just to monkey around. There is a cumulative and cross-curriculum project that goes along with the excursion. The students are divided into groups and assigned an animal. At the zoo, they must research and observe the enclosure of their animal and marketing techniques.

"Company" presentation

The group then takes on the role of a company trying to convince the “zoo board” (the AOIT teachers) to purchase their animal. The presentations are rather creative. The students create a PowerPoint with embedded video, flyers and business cards, and design company logos. This year, students came up with the company Paw Prints, Alligator Rescue, Apex Zoo, and others. 

Each student in the group played a different role in the company – exhibit architect, vet, chief financial officer. Being able to choose the group among AOIT cohorts makes the elephant-sized task bearable. The purpose of the project, one of many group presentations AOIT students have throughout their four years in the academy, is to work on soft skills such as team work, communication, presentation, and professionalism.