Twenty-seven Melissa High School Audio-Visual Production students took a field trip to the Toyota corporate headquarters in Frisco, TX on Dec. 1 for an eye-opening experience. Darren Thompson, a Melissa School Board member, coordinated the day aimed at broadening students' perspectives on corporate AV work.
The day began with a tour of Toyota's video conferencing facilities, revealing the diverse roles involved in running corporate video conferences. Students learned about jobs such as equipment operation, troubleshooting, design and installation, and coordination across time zones. Toyota emphasized the growing importance of Project Management certification in their workforce.
Following a comprehensive exploration of video conferencing setups, students worked in groups to design their own conferencing rooms, considering equipment needs for various types of conferences. They also experienced Toyota’s commercial-making process and were challenged to create a commercial for a car that runs on alternative fuel. Toyota provided them with the opportunity to read the script as the "talent" would and to record auditions. Students were then taken to Toyota’s editing room, where they gained hands-on experience with the editing systems in Toyota’s AV department.
The Melissa High School CTE program aims to provide valuable lessons to students, fostering a better understanding of professional fields beyond high school. Through this experience, students were surprised to learn about the vast number of opportunities available for individuals with AV skills within Toyota and in corporate America. A special thanks to Toyota and Mr. Thompson for this enlightening experience!