Phoenix, AZ – October 2, 2007 – Having placed in the national top five 18 times and in the top three nine times, The Arizona Academic Decathlon has a long and proud history. Last year, the team placed fourth, again
establishing the team as a force to be reckoned with.
Executive director, Anne Edelstein, remarks, “We’re obviously incredibly proud of our students and Arizona’s record, having placed fourth nationally this past year, but it was time to step things up a little when it came to
outreach. We have two other major sponsors, Blue Cross and Blue Shield and SRP, but we really needed help when it came to marketing, branding, and our website. That’s where Zion & Zion came in.”
Zion & Zion, a mid-sized marketing firm with operations in both Phoenix and Atlanta, has put together a new website for the Decathlon that will serve the organization’s needs throughout 2007 and on into the future. The new Decathlon website features data driven functionality for the reporting of scrimmage results, downloading of forms, and processing of donations, as well as a suite of online communication and productivity tools for use by board members and coaches.
Decathlon president, Mr. Wayne Kirby of Desert Botanical Gardens proclaims, “It’s so nice to finally have something no less than fabulous! The website has everything on our wish list and then some.” Zion & Zion CEO Aric Zion comments, “It was a labor of love really. Our staff was all over the idea of delivering something to the Decathlon that was going to have an image that reflected the quality of the student decathletes.”
Zion & Zion COO DuGué Zion added, “The new Decathlon website is already attracting the attention of leading businesses, and it’s important that the business community be completely behind the Decathlon. Let’s face it,
with Arizona’s business growth, ASU president Michael Crow’s emphasis on partnering with businesses, and ASU West’s development of business certification programs for its students being planned out in concert with the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, it’s going to be businesses that help to drive students’ academic aspirations.”
The new Arizona Academic Decathlon website can be visited at www.azacadec.org.
About Arizona Academic Decathlon:
The Arizona Academic Decathlon’s mission is to promote, motivate and acknowledge excellence in academic efforts and educational achievement through a program of academic competitions for high school students of all scholastic achievement levels.
The organization’s goals are to encourage students to excel in academic pursuits by promoting enthusiasm for learning, developing a spirit of competition, working as a member of a team, participating in peer tutoring,
undertaking interdisciplinary study, emphasizing preparation and research, acquiring an understanding of the fine arts and increasing communication skills.
The Arizona Academic Decathlon also strives to improve the total educational program in Arizona by promoting the importance of excellence in broad academic performance, motivating students to reach their fullest potential and establishing a positive image of students in Arizona communities. The organization also encourages community and business involvement and support of academic excellence through contribution of funds, time, talent and or materials.