By Don Steen | Staff Writer • [email protected]
Rockport Elementary students shook off the snow the morning of February 11 and dedicated their day to the business of learning… about business. The normal curriculum was substituted by guest teachers from Junior Achievement and volunteers from German American Bank, who gave the students a rundown of how money works.
Junior Achievement is a non-profit organization that works with local businesses and schools to help teach entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy skills. The curriculum varies from grade to grade, with activities ranging from stories about individual choices when spending or saving money, how a family household manages its income and how the flow of money can impact a community.
Students also learned about various career paths available to them, what kind of lifestyle different jobs can sustain and what kind of preparation goes into qualifying for those jobs. They also learned that people can take different paths to the same role, if they’re willing to work for it.
It wasn’t all a question of earning, spending and saving, however. Students were also taught about the basics of the local economy, such as the difference between goods- and service-based businesses. Activities helped demonstrate how such operations entail different expenses and bring in revenue in different ways.
At the end of the day, students were allowed to submit their names for a raffle, earning themselves a short time in a wind tunnel full of prize slips. An inflatable cage provided by German American Bank was filled with tiny slips of paper that could be exchanged for such things as water bottles, sports balls, shirts and in some cases a cash award to start a savings account.
Principal Rick Hunt noted that the biggest prize of the day was the lessons learned, however. He thanked Junior Achievement and local volunteers for coming out to help prepare students for the world to come.
“You’re all leaving with some amazing information today,” he said.
Featured Image: Stephanie Newton’s 3rd Grade class participated in the Junior Achievement program on February 11
Above: More pictures from the Junior Achievement program on February 11
