Condé Contributes to Education in Alabama School Systems

This past August, Condé contributed to the expansion of educational curriculum for various Alabama school systems. Condé introduced an education program to students attending the Alabama Career and Technical Education Summer Conference, which focused on teaching students how to run a business and raise funds for their school using product decoration technologies.

Sherry Hall, a Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) instructor at Sardis High School in Sardis, Alabama, and a Condé Systems customer, has been using sublimation in her courses for several years and felt it could be beneficial in other FACS programs across the state. Hall’s students have established their own product decorating business, “Designs by Lions” (honoring the school’s mascot), and make sublimated products for sale within the school community.

Hall reached out to Condé, looking for information about how to incorporate sublimation into an educational curriculum. Working together, they constructed a presentation titled, “Raising Funds and Teaching Business Principles with a Heat Press.” The focus was on how FACS programs could use a heat press to decorate mugs, T-shirts, plates, quilts, bags, and more with original student designs using sublimation or vinyl technology.

Among the benefits of this program is teaching students how to create their designs using different software programs, while also learning how to own and operate a business. The money generated from sales could be used to support FACS or other school programs.

“We are excited and honored to offer our industry knowledge to such a marvelous program that allows students to expand their creativity and be exposed to different avenues,” says Condé President David Gross.

Gross and members of the Condé Systems team attended the Alabama Career and Technical Education Summer Conference, distributing handouts, drawings, and discount certificates to attendees. They provided tools that would help in building a working curriculum and encourage students to think outside the box. These resources included Excel spreadsheets to calculate product cost, cost of operation, margin, etc.; and links to video tutorials and webinars, product descriptions, how-to videos, sublimation equipment training, and technical support.

Gross contributed his industry experience in a round-table discussion, outlining what the students would learn in terms of owning and operating a business. He explained the benefits of incorporating sublimation into a curriculum, courses that could include sublimation, type of equipment and software used, media, vendor resources, and sample projects. Gross also discussed how to use embroidery, vinyl, sublimation, painting, and quilting to teach students how to own and operate their own businesses and raise funds for their programs.

Due to the overwhelming response to the work Hall and Condé have done, Hall will host a hands-on professional development course at Sardis High School for teachers interested in adding this program to their curriculum.