The entrepreneurship class at Liberty High School gives students a wonderful opportunity to really see what it is like to own a business and how to run it properly. From learning how to make logos, to learning about breakeven points, is all that is taught in this class, imparted by Mrs. DiVello. This week we were able to see all the skills and improvements of the students and enjoy their little businesses during all lunch shifts, thanks to the Market Day.
The Market Day is the capstone’s largest project of the entrepreneurship class. The students have to create micro-businesses, by doing market research and physically creating their products, to sell them at lunch. Normally it is done by groups or partnerships but whoever wants to can do it on their own, always remembering their responsibilities and using all the resources wisely. This project has been done for 2 years and 3 times at LHS. It is the perfect way to be involved with real entrepreneur situations and students are usually very interested in participating. “I think that any time you can bring in hands-on real experience learning, students tend to buy into their educational projects more, so I believe that Market Day is the prime example of students using those hands-on skills and real-life lessons”, explained Mrs. DiVello.
On Wednesday, the cafeteria hallway was crowded with students, who were enjoying the products and buying the entrepreneurship class creations. A huge variety of items were on sale from smoothies and cookies to pairs of sneakers, hoodies, and even slimes.
For most of the students, it was their first time participating in Market Day. Nervousness and excitement were two of the most common feelings experienced by them. They were all committed to their business and applied what they learned in class for the 1st time. One of the main motivations was that the groups got to keep the profits they made. Even though they all had different goals regarding that. For example, sophomore, Travis Duong and seniors, Erick Zavaleta and Isaac Sorto-Molina, were selling fruit smoothies for $3 a cup and they decided to set an easy objective of at least $20 in profit.
On the other hand, some other groups had higher expectations. Sophomore, Ty Meyer, who was selling stuffed animals of various sizes that she crocheted herself, and the group formed by juniors, Amity Vincent, April Pimentel, and Diana Turcios, and senior, Ivette Umana who were selling boxes of slime, all had a goal of at least $200 profit.
Students enjoyed the Market Day and all the stands there were presented. Although some believe it was kind of difficult to see and get to the tables because of the crowds and reduced space, they recommended having it done in another place. “I feel there should have been fewer tables because there were so many people there at once, but like they should have spread out,” explained junior, Karly McDonough. Some other students would love to participate in this project as it is fun, and engaging and can help them to improve their entrepreneurial skills. However, not everyone is creative and some would easily struggle with what to do in the business. “I think it would be fun, but I would not know what to sell,” said senior, Katinka Roos Andringa. The majority of the students agreed that the highlight of the marketing project was the ice cream. “I really liked the ice cream. I love ice cream and this one was homemade,” commented Andringa.
Market Day was a success for both sellers and students who could benefit from it. This event is something that has to keep going at Liberty High School through the following years. This day could give the students new ambitions and ideas for career paths. It showed them that creating a business is always possible with a good strategy and a strong will and none of them should be discouraged from doing it.
