LENOX, Mass. — Morris Elementary School fourth-graders in Pamela Codey's class participated in our Junior Marketers Create an Ad series. 

 

We contacted Berkshire County teachers and asked their students to help create an ad for our sponsors and the community delivered. For the next 10 months, we will showcase ads made by our creative next generation. 

 

This month, students showcased Mike's Maytag's pet-friendly washing machine and drawer and had the opportunity to learn about the appliance store from none other than its owner, Michael Spelman. 

 

The store is located at 14 Gordon St. in Pittsfield. 

 

Students gathered in a circle to ask Spelman questions ranging from why he started the company to whether he has pets, what he likes about his job, what job he'd have if he didn't open Mike's Maytag, and many other insightful questions that provided a glimpse into the store and its owner's legacy. 

 

"I wanted to work with my hands, and being a veteran, sometimes, the government gives a program where a veteran can work for six months at a job … and the government will subsidize the pay to help me learn," he said. 

 

"And I was an electronics technician in the Navy, and I used to fix and fly on airplanes as a crewman. So, I always like to work, and I love to take things apart." 

 

Spelman and his then-wife and still business partner, Susan Spelman, opened a store on North Street in 1992, building on Mike's prior experience in the appliance industry. 

 

It snowballed from there, and the community has come to know the store as having great products, Spelman said. 

 

Back in the day, when Spelman first started, no one was worried about energy because it was cheap. Most people fill their machines with water for just one thing — such a waste, he said, but today, appliances are more energy efficient. 

 

Even the PetPro, the washer that the students advertised, does not use as much water as older washer models, Spelman said. 

 

"It's saving energy, plus the machine doesn't have to work as hard because it's got less water and less resistance," he said. 

 

Each student showcased the washer and dryer's ability to conquer pet hair in their drawings, many of which depicted animals or before and after results of clothing going into the appliances. 

 

"We talk a lot about communities and being helpers and good citizens, so I thought [the Create an Ad series] was a great way to work with the business and get the kids' creative juices flowing," Codey said. 

 

"One of the writing standards that we have is persuasion and luckily, this happened in November when we were learning about persuasive writing, so it coupled really nicely with our standards. They were able to do some persuasive drawings and advertisements."

 

During his visit to the school, Spelman also emphasized the importance of education. 

 

"I want to reiterate, education so important. This school is such a great school to learn. This school is such a great school to learn, the teachers, great location, and I'm very proud of you all," he said.

 

"You're the next generation. You're going to take over and time to come, you're going to be the leaders of our country. I won't be around anymore, but you're going to be the leaders and hopefully do a great job. And never give up either. Never give up, always keep fighting for what you want, whatever you believe in, fight for it." 

 

Some of these students may become artists or graphic designers. They may not go down that route but activities like this gives them a goal to work toward, Spelman said.

 

They sat there for who knows how long it took to create these ads, said Spelman, who added he was very impressed with the end results, highlighting the difficulty in selecting the top three. 

 

"I'm very impressed by the children. They're all well-behaved, all smiling faces, and you can see that they love to learn," he said. 

 

The students that the business partners selected as the winners for their outstanding design were Irene Collins for first place, Hailey Bleser for second, and Grace McMeekin for third. 

 

"I like the color. I loved that they put a lot of coloring in instead of just black and white. They added color so it was very vibrant. That's what we really liked. And excellent drawings," Spelman said. 

 

Collins drawing showed the after results of the PetPro wash and dryer by depicting a shirt that was slow clean that it shined despite the fur from the pup standing next to the happy customer. 

 

"I was thinking how the shirts, or clothing would be so clean after you wash it. So I wanted to make it really shiny," she said. 

 

"I learned how to be persuasive, and I learned more creativity when drawing. And when Mike came and talked to us, I learned that you should always work hard and never stop working for your education."

 

Bleser also drew the washer and dryer and showcased its ability conquer pet hair by incorporating a dog in the background. 

 

"I learned that how to persuade people to do things or buy things. I think that [the create an ad series] was a good, cool experience and I'm glad that I won," she said.

 

McMeekin took inspiration from her love of comic books and drew a scene where two people are talking about the effectiveness of the PetPro the washing machine and dryer at getting pet hair out of clothes. 

 

"I like reading comic books, so I thought that it would be a good idea to make my drawing with comic strip," McMeekin said. 

 

"One of them is really mad because she can't get all the dog and cat hair off her clothes. So, she is talking to one of her friends about it, [and the friend] that knows a lot about Mike's Maytag [and tells her] to Mik'e Maytag to get the PetPro washer and dryer."