Page 4
March 9, 2016
Photo Courtesy t raCk t oWn usa
Middle schoolers from Self Enhancement Academy (SEI) tour the Oregon Convention Center ahead of
the upcoming IAAF World Indoor track championships.
Indoor Track Championships
in City More than a Meet
Students at SEI
get close up look
L egaL N otices
Need to publish a court document or notice? Need an affidavit
of publication quickly and efficiently? Please fax or e-mail your
notice for a free price quote!
Fax: 503-288-0015
e-mail:
classifieds@portlandobserver.com
The Portland Observer
More than 50 middle school
students from the SEI Academy
recently enjoyed a field trip to the
Oregon Convention Center as part
of the school’s academic, profes-
sional and personal support pro-
gram.
The tour was arranged by con-
vention center staff and Track-
Town USA, the local organizing
committee for the IAAF World
Indoor Championships Portland
2016. The four-day meet will be
held in the Oregon Convention
Center on March 17-20.
For many students, this was
their first visit to the Oregon Con-
vention Center. The field trip was
part of TrackTown’s ongoing ef-
fort to promote the IAAF World
Indoor Championships as “more
than a meet” by connecting the
event with local community mem-
bers of all ages.
The SEI Academy students
were welcomed with a series of
short presentations on the many
professional opportunities which
exist at the facility: sales, guest
services, operations, administra-
tion, event management, audio/
visual and catering.
Besides explaining how they
landed in their current roles, OCC
staff were able to get the students
excited about how “small, part-
time roles can be a stepping stone
to discovering a passion,” one that
still resonates with many staff
members.
For the students, one of the high-
lights of the tour was a visit to the
massive exhibit halls where a tem-
porary 7,000-seat stadium is being
built for the meet, including a new
200-meter banked oval track.
Many of the students will re-
turn to watch the Opening Cere-
mony and Pole Vault competition
which kicks off the IAAF World
Indoor Championships on March
17 at 6 p.m.
The other favorite stop was the
kitchen, where students were in-
troduced to the many aspects of
the catering business. They were
excited to put on hair nets before
entering the kitchen, prompt-
ing one student to exclaim, “The
only way this could be better is if
doughnuts were raining from the
ceiling!”
TrackTown USA said it was
proud to partner with the SEI
Academy and Oregon Conven-
tion Center on this endeavor, and
it hopes that lasting relationships
can be achieved with all ages in
the community through addition-
al professional development pro-
grams.