It’s that time again! We’re back with our October Around the Grounds update, and this month we have a boatload of fantastic feedback for our global presenting team. From here on out, we’ll also be including a Presenter of the Month for each office which will be based on presenter stats and feedback, so make sure you’re checking in each month to see whether you’re leading the pack!
Team Australia
With a big push on Connect and Study Skills delivery this month, it’s been a busy October for the Aus presenting team, and we want to say a huge thank you to all those who have picked up extra sessions to get our workshops to schools across the country!
This month the Aus team delivered 1193 sessions, helping a total of 52492 kids – amazing work!
Presenter of the Month
The Aus Presenter of the Month for October is Amy Cooper from the NSW team! Amy has finished the month with a mighty 97.28% average stats figure after running 18 sessions with a teacher feedback score of 9.21. Way to go Amy!
We asked Amy about her experience with presenting and what enables her to keep the bar so high when it comes to seminars. This is what she had to say:
“I wouldn't be able to do it without the support, friendship, and giggles from the rest of Team NSW. I'm constantly taking inspiration and energy both from the incredible presenters around me on the ground, and from the kids in the classroom. High schoolers are truly so silly and spontaneous, and it's the seminars where I can fully embrace that energy, whilst also backing my own skills and experience, where I have the best time and leave feeling like I'm on top of the world.”
Standout Presenter Feedback
Anh Nguyen
“Anh was extremely knowledgeable of the subject matter and had the students engaged at the outset. He showed the ability to change up the lesson depending on the questions asked and the level of understanding. Great job! Thank you for visiting.”
Mahek Fazal
“The presenter was excellent! Mahek was personable and related to our students. She gave excellent tips and was very supportive to all levels and abilities in the room. Thank you!”
Brendan Gan
“Thank you to Brendan for a very informative, challenging and engaging presentation. The students were attentive and it was good that they were actively participating in solving the problems. Brendan walked around to check on student progress and to assist them when required. He was extremely knowledgeable and answered all the students' questions. It was nice that after the presentation he answered some student queries about what he did to study for his exams. Thank you.”
Slack Channel Highlights
As you guys will be aware, Slack is the messaging app we use to communicate updates and share highlights with the rest of the team. On these channels there are some awesome examples of our presenting teams helping the kids and some great photos of team get-togethers! We’ve included some highlights below:
Some of the NSW team enjoying a post-sem lunch at the office and a couple of group pics of the guys out and about presenting. Thanks Rebecca Le, Henry Beissel and Charlotte Heaton!
Thanks, Maddy Miao, Darius Dekker and Maddy Brown for these great Vic team shots!
A few more awesome pics from the QLD team - thanks Maisie Gillespie, Alana Langley and Jemma Campbell for giving us an insight into your day-to-day.
Team South Africa
Now it’s time to turn our attention to the South African team, who once again have been crushing it this month. During October, the South African team delivered a total of 189 sessions, helping over 8316 kids across the country.
Carry on reading to find out who’s been crowned Presenter of the Month for October and which presenters have featured in our standout testimonials!
Presenter of the Month
Congrats Wenzel Grobler, you are team South Africa’s Presenter of the month!
Wenzel has been absolutely killing it in October, smashing out 11 seminars with average stats of 97.99% and a teacher feedback score of 9.14.
When we asked Wenzel how he continues to get such great results from his seminars, this was his response:
‘I always do some extra research on the content in the workbooks, so I can answer any questions the students, staff or parents may have. And when I'm doing my workshops, I always tell my students to be honest with me and to not be afraid to make mistakes. That way I can quickly identify what the students struggle with in the workshop and help guide them in the right direction.’
Keep up the great work, Wenzel, and thanks for your commitment to helping the kids!
Standout Testimonials
Wenzel Grobler
“Wenzel was enthusiastic and his presentations were slick and engaging. He was great at keeping the Grade 9 and 10 groups focused.”
Osama Salim
“Our presenter Osama was outstanding! - debriefed further in meeting: brilliant handling of the students, great use of break breaks and constantly kept the kids engaged.”
Nolwazi Hlongwane
“Nolwazi was wonderful and interacted well with our parents. Thank you.”
Our Founder and CEO, DB, and former SA GM, Adam Diprose, also paid a visit to the office this month. Above you can see some pics of their time there.
Team UK
Big smiles all round from the UK team as they settle into the new academic year. We hope you all enjoyed the half term break and got plenty of rest – it's certainly well-deserved, as this month the UK team delivered 1035 sessions to over 45540 students, an absolutely mammoth effort!
Now let’s celebrate the presenters who have been killing it this month...
Presenter of the Month
The UK’s Presenter of the Month for October is none other than Talisker Little!
Talisker has been stacking up some impressive ratings across the month, securing average stats of 98.25% across 29 seminars with a teacher feedback score of 9.56! Absolutely outstanding work Talisker!
Here’s what Talisker had to say when we asked him about his approach to running seminars that have a real impact:
"For me, presenting is all about buy-in. I'm thrilled if a student wants to see their grades improve, but the moments I'm really looking for are when students realise that opportunities they didn't think were open to them are actually more achievable than they might have thought. I always try to understand exactly what each student I work with needs from each seminar. As someone who found their academic rhythm a bit later on, I appreciate that for some students finding the motivation to keep trying can make the world of difference."
Standout Testimonials
Nic Millar
"An extremely beneficial experience for students and parents, who all gained a lot from it. Lots of positive comments from all. Nic Millar was exceptional in the student session and the parent session. He had everyone hanging on his every word. Please pass on my thanks to him."
Nigham Jahangiri
“As always Nigham was absolutely fantastic!! She has a great manner and her engagement with the students is spot on! She is an amazing ambassador for your company and I sincerely hope that we can work with her again at next year's event! She has recommended another session of yours that I will now investigate.”
Tabitha Wise
“All 37 students loved Tabitha's session and would like her to return. She was full of energy, had a great rapport with the girls instantly and made so much sense to them. Staff and students are thoroughly impressed and we now have happy girls who are armed with clear strategies and tips to begin or continue their revision.”
Team US
Elevate’s expansion across the US is progressing, and this means presenters have been stepping up to run seminars in new locations across the country. A big thank you to all those helping to get the Elevate program to even more students!
During the past month, the US presenters delivered 524 seminars, helping 23056 kids to get off to a flying start for the new school year.
Aside from the overall support from the New York team, we also wanted to recognise several presenters in particular who have consistently hit the mark when it comes to delivering workshops. Presenter of the Month
A big round of applause for Elias Tirado, our US Presenter of the Month!
Elias has been moving mountains this past month to make a real impact at schools across the city – and this definitely shows in his ratings...
Across October, Elias has smashed out 18 seminars with average stats of 99.35% and a teacher feedback score of 9. Really amazing stuff there Elias!
Elias shared with us how humour enables him to connect with his student seminar groups:
“I like to think how I would react to a seminar if I was in the students' shoes. I try to make it as entertaining and eventful for them as I possibly can. Basically, the more they laugh, the more they’re willing to open up and listen to what I have to say. So, when in doubt, crack a joke!” Standout Testimonials
Maya Cottone
“Maya was awesome at presenting the material. We loved the topic overall and the activities are great for parents to put into practice.”
Brittany Reed
"Brittany was a huge success!”
Lydia Viano
“You guys are always awesome. The coach was really nice, kids enjoyed the session. They even went on social media and followed Elevate and were really excited to see the coaches on there.”
Slack Channel Highlights
Thanks for joining us for our October highlights - we hoped you enjoyed it. Don't forget to share your pics and stories on Slack throughout November so we can share what you've been up to!