Dunwoody High School Academy of Finance Puts Lessons into Action

The Dunwoody High Academy of Finance is raising money for its trip to the NYSE.  In addition to raising their own money for their own trip, they are also donating a portion of the proceeds to the Intreped Fallen Heroes Fund.

The Academy will deliver Krispy Kremes TO YOUR DOOR on Saturday the 27th.  To pay on delivery, get your order in TODAY via this form on the AhA! Connection.  You can also link to Academy members' email with questions.

I love this group and more high schools (public and private) need a Finance Academy.  From Dunwoody High's wikipedia page:

The Academy of Finance is a two-year program in which students gain specialized preparation in the field of finance while completing their normal course curriculum. Over the course of the program, students are introduced to four segments of business: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, International Business and Personal Finance. Students practice real world activities while preparing marketing plans for products and competing in financial competitions. Business partners from the community visit the class and work with the students to prepare them for their future. Each year, the academy students visit the New York Mercantile Exchange, the Stock Exchange, and an investment bank to experience how the world’s largest financial center operates.

If we want more business in town, we have to see that the kids in school get a chance to learn first hand what that entails.  These teens are learning by doing - they're going out and earning their own money with their own effort for their own field trip.  I'm putting my money where my mouth is and supporting this effort.
 
There are other Academy of Finance fundraisers around town supported by other businesses so if you see one, lend them a hand!

Local Business Films Grand Opening for TLC Series

It's not a Dunwoody business but lots of Dunwoody moms and girls of all ages flock here for parties and "girl-time" fun.  It started as a cupcake bakery but it has become so much more.

Pink Pastry Parlor has been around for some time at the corner of Holcome Bridge and Spalding but is now located in Rivermont Plaza, down by the corner of Holcombe Bridge and Nesbit Ferry in Alpharetta.

Today's grand opening festivities were filmed by a production company for a TLC reality series, tentatively titled "Pink" that is slated to air in November, according to the producers on site.  Little girls from all over North DeKalb and North Fulton lined up to have their makeup done and explore the newly-expanded location.

Hint - there are now TWO pillow-fight and bounce-on-the-bed rooms.  And a baking class room, and a grownup girl/pink party room.  And lots more pink "hand" chairs for pedicures.  And a separate fashion show room.  And a HUGE movies-and-toys-for-the-really-little-girls room.

Production crew was everywhere and there was no ignoring them.  Their detachment is like the guards at Buckingham Palace:  they don't interact with anyone, even to smile or speak, and they don't visibly react  to anyone or anything aside from pointing the camera or boom.  That brings its own sense of intimidation, like Sasquatch the Sound Guy here.  I whispered that his testerone levels will eventually recover.  I thought I saw a tear in the corner of his eye.

The potential here is huge because they've expanded their clientele to include adults as well as children and teens.  It's ok to be a grown woman who likes to indulge the little girl inside (timely article from Knitternall here) and it's one more place where moms can get away from it all, even for just a couple of hours.  (Dunwoody MOMs South, St Brigid's Circle @ All Saints and Greater North Fulton Alumnae of Phi Mu, I'm talking to YOU!!!)



Go ahead.  Have a cupcake.


REQUIRED WEB GEEK REVIEW:

I'm a web geek so I have to give the website some commentary.
http://www.pinkpastryparlor.com/ was created by the store's owner with a commercially-available template and the latest version of WordPress.  WP has come a long way from "just a blog" to a growing powerhouse of content management.  It's not right for every project but I'm finding more and more opportunities to use it for clients.

They covered most of the bases:  social media links, video, consistent naviagation, easy-to-find contact information.  Beautiful layout to frame their information. 

But there's a couple of lessons to be learned too:
1.  NEVER put "coming soon" on a page.  Back in "the day" it was helpful to remind visitors to keep checking back but today it turns into an albatross.  Everyone (yours truly included) forgets to update the page with the "coming soon" content.
2.  NEVER (and I mean NEV-ER) launch a page or a blog without real information on it.  If you don't have anything to blog about (and they sure did today!) don't post it in your navigation bar.  If any of your content involves the words "Lorem ipsum" or "Hello World" you're not finished yet.  Make sure your blog sidebars promote only relevant links and content as well.  No one cares about wordpress.org. 

I'll have more to chat about in the "Opportunity" sense once the sugar buzz wears off!  When I hear about the series airing, I'll post it here.  Or, if someone else has details, post a comment.

You Know You're in Dunwoody When....

Just a little fun with the truth at the end of the week.  Have a great weekend, everybody!

You Know You're in Dunwoody When....

• down-home family supper involves a run to Kroger for pre-washed, evenly cut and bagged collard greens, pre-peeled onions, diced-and-measured mirepois, and hot pre-cooked BBQ ribs.  Don't forget the ready-to-bake potatoes in their own foil. 
• social plans in the Spring involve Methodist and Jewish friends organizing a camp out at the Catholic place for dinner on Friday. 
• community activists want to turn backyards into full-on working barnyards, regardless of the impact around them.  HOWEVER - they also think a garage sale sign on a street corner is a hanging offense.
   
• once a week a crowd of minivans and SUVs will converge on a street corner or parking lot so that their kids can walk to school. 
• trick-or-treating on Halloween requires finding a parking spot three hours before ringing the first doorbell. 
• no one pays retail for baby clothing or supplies.  Just wait a week and you'll hear about a consignment sale.
• drive-through restaurants do brisk business for local citizens and visitors, while the legality of menu boards for said restaurants are debated for 18 months at a time - by the people using the drive-throughs. 
• when someone is injured or has a new baby, a line of volunteers spontaneously forms to bring dinner for a few weeks.  The pertinent details are distributed across town in less than an hour. 

Are there any others?  The comments are wide open.