Education Matters

We posted about this a while back but wanted to give it some more focus, as it's quite an achievement for our home town. From the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat:

A regional magazine’s analysis shows a large disparity in test scores among Cambria and Somerset county school districts.

Windber Area topped the area districts, ranking 67th out of 500 in the state. Turkeyfoot Valley Area, at 478th, and Greater Johnstown, at 477th, trailed the local pack.

The Pittsburgh Business Times published the rankings in its April edition, based on three years of Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exam scores.

“It shows consistency,” Windber schools Superintendent Rick Huffman said. “It is not just a good group (of students) that comes through. It shows you have a process in place.”

Windber moved up from 83rd on last year’s report and from 118th two years ago.

“We are now in the top 15 percent,” Huffman said. “We are very pleased with that.”

You can read the full story here.

“Go Further” Ad Campaign Begins Tonight!

Tonight, Ford will take a dramatic step out of the box with the launch of a new advertising campaign featuring some of our most exciting vehicles – the Ford Fiesta, Focus ST, 2013 Escape and the all-new 2013 Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid.

This also marks the external debut of our new Go Further global brand promise here in North America.

For the first week of this campaign, none of the vehicles featured in the ads will wear the blue Ford oval and there will be no mention of the Ford brand. This unique – and somewhat unconventional – approach is designed to catch the attention of consumers who have perceptions of the Ford brand that don’t match up with the reality of today’s Ford Motor Company.  By running the ads for the first seven days of the campaign without any reference to Ford, we’re confident that the fuel economy, technology and design of our new vehicles will speak for themselves. 

After one week, re-edited versions of these spots will take over and be fully Ford-branded, but look similar in tone and feel to the first set of ads. These will air in a big media push for an additional six weeks.

To read more about this, including Jim Farley’s perspective click here.

Watch for the ads tonight during some of your favorite television programs like House, Smash, Dancing with the Stars and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

And you can go here to see the 60-second version of the unbranded ad…and since changing the perception of our Ford lineup to match reality is so important to growing the business, we ask that you actively share the ads with your family and friends.

Thank you for your support Ford Fans!

One of the Most Fuel-Efficient Crossovers Available

The 2013 Ford Escape is "one of the most fuel-efficient crossovers available," according to the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/sns--2013-ford-escape-gets-33-mpg-highway-scion-f-20120425,0,4298032.story

Ever wonder how cars get designed? Ford shows off the VR they use to test out designs: http://www.buffalonews.com/business/article804923.ece

The 2013 Ford Taurus gets a bit of a makeover just two years after the introduction of this generation of Taurus. For full details, check out the story at Automobile magazine.

NASCAR fans, how do you feel about Penske switching to Ford?

Penske racing team set to switch to Ford cars: http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7633498/penske-racing-switching-ford-dodge-2013

Road Trip Activities for Kids

 

Going on a road trip this Spring?  Keep the kids calm and happy by trying out a few of these road trip games:

Hunting for Bottled Treasure

Create a self-contained buried treasure game that your kids can do together. In "Bottled Treasure," you fill a 2-liter bottle or other plastic container about three-quarters full with rice or birdseed. Then add a variety of small household objects such as paperclips, buttons, marbles and different colored toy Army men. Be sure to keep track of how many objects you put in and what they are. Most importantly, seal the container tightly so you don't get rice or seed all over your car.

Your kids can then shake the bottle and try to find all of the treasures you "buried" in the bottle. If you've got a long trip ahead of you, they can also guess what the objects are. Once they've found everything on the list, reward them with a treat, like choosing the music for the next hour.

Fun With Maps

Maps are not just essential for knowing where you are on the road; they can also be the source for many great car games. Another plus to using map-based games is that you can teach your children map-reading and geography skills.

Give your children each a map and let them mark it up to help them keep track of where you are in your journey. Let them color, draw on it, highlight your route or use stickers to help them create their own personalized mementos of your road trip. As you pass different towns and landmarks, they can note them on their maps.

Older children can maximize their map-reading skills to figure out how many miles you have left until your next stop, and they can also calculate how long it might take to get there based on your speed.

Counting Cars

When you have younger children who are learning their colors and numbers, your fellow drivers on the highway can provide the perfect opportunity for them to practice. Come up with fun, yet age-appropriate challenges like being the first to find five green cars or 10 semi trucks. Engage older children with guessing how many of a certain type of vehicle you'll see in 10 minutes. Let the winner choose the next DVD or hour of music.

If you're traveling with teens, make the game a bit of a surprise. Have everyone in your family choose a color and when you find 10 vehicles of that color, you have to provide a reward for the family. Whether it's dessert at dinner or a family activity like mini-golf, it's a way to engage older kids who may want hide behind their iPods and cell phones during the trip.

Looking for more ways to keep the kids engaged as you hit the road?  Check out the full article here:  http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/destinations/road-trips/10-noise-free-road-trip-games-for-kids.htm