"What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet..." Yes, Shakespeare said it best, as always. But in the world of school assemblies, names can be quite confusing.

If you are the one assigned to book the school shows for your school, it can be very difficult knowing where to look. The web is a great tool, but as with all computer activities, what you get out is determined by what you put in.

In some schools they talk about their "school shows". At Mobile Ed we tend to use the term "school assembly" or "school assembly program". Some people refer to "school convocations" or even "school lyceums". Sometimes these school shows are called "enrichment programs". There are likely to be other terms as well, but these are the most familiar.

If you Google "school assemblies" you will come up with two million, five hundred and sixty thousand results. That would take a little time to sort through, I expect. "School shows" is even worse, with four hundred and twenty four million results. "School shows" is probably not the best search to use, I am guessing, as it picks up a lot of non related results.

Obviously, you will need to narrow your search. You can start by making your search regional. You don't need the "connecting words" of good grammar (in, for etc). Just start by entering your preferred term and your state, for example "Michigan school assemblies" or "Ohio school assemblies". Reversing the order works just as well, as in "school assembly programs Illinois" or "school assembly programs Wisconsin".

Next try narrowing your results even further by defining the type of school show you are seeking. For example, if you are looking for light entertainment you might try "magician school assembly Michigan".

Many schools though, have opted lately to only take time from class for programs that further the curriculum. If that is your case try "Michigan educational school assemblies" or "educational assembly programs New Jersey".

You may also wish to get even more specific in your search. If you are seeking social studies you might try "Abe Lincoln school assembly program Indiana", or "Ben Franklin school assembly Tennessee".

For specific holidays be specific in your search. For example "black history school assembly Virginia" or "Martin Luther King school assembly program Washington"

In the field of science you can be very specific. Try "Michigan science school assembly" or narrow it to, say, "chemistry science school assembly Ohio". If you are looking for astronomy try "Midwest portable planetarium school assemblies" or "Texas planetarium assembly programs schools"

The point is that the more key information you enter into your search the more specific will be your obtained results.

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN