Wednesday, March 28, 2018

TOMORROW’S ENTREPRENEURS MAKE THEIR PITCHES

JOE MAHONEY/tiMEs-dispAtcH

Kalani Curry (second from right), 10, delivered the sales pitch for an eager fourth-grade sales
team from Henrico County’s Jackson Davis Elementary School during Mini-Economy Market
Day at VCU’s Siegel Center on Tuesday. More than 1,700 students participated. (Details, Page A6)

Students take their goods to market

Event teaches them
to run a business,
be smart consumers
By HOLLy PRESTIDGE
richmond Times-dispatch

Peacock pens — pens

with “real peacock feath-
ers” attached — were a
novelty, as were the Harry
Potter wands, described
by their 10-year-old maker
as sticks that had been
whittled and sanded and
stained by hand. Home-
made soaps, pet rocks,
jewelry, stationery, book-
marks — even thick, ge-
latinous wads of slime
— were items that were
selling as fast as they were
put out for sale.
The scope of creativity
displayed by more than
1,700 central Virginia stu-
dents in third through fifth
grades on Tuesday dur-
ing Mini-Economy Market
Day was matched only by
their excitement of being
in charge of their own
businesses and having the
opportunity to be smart
consumers. JOE MAHONEY/tiMEs-dispAtcH
Let’s just say the “mini More than 1,700 third- to fifth-graders from central Virginia participated in Mini-Economy Market Day at VCU’s Siegel Center on Tuesday. The event
bucks” were flowing. is part of programs created by the Virginia Council on Economic Education designed to give students a deeper understanding of business concepts.
Tuesday’s event on the
floor of Virginia Common-
wealth University’s Siegel
“If you get that appreciation while they’re young,
Center was the highlight they can start to understand” the value they hold as both
of the school year for stu-
dents throughout the area consumers and future employees and employers. “All those
who are in classes where
Mini-Economy programs
concepts are seeds that can be planted very young.”
exist. The programs were Judi Crenshaw, Virginia council on economic education
created by the Virginia
Council on Economic
Education and align and
enhance what the stu- cepts are seeds that can be that one of the benefits action,” Day said.
dents are already learning planted very young.” of their business was the Down another aisle
within Virginia’s Stan- Fiona Chan and Abby “reservations” — shoppers from Just Add Knots, Mad-
dards of Learning in third Diskin, students at Co- could reserve a bracelet or ison Martin and Kennedy
through fifth grades. lonial Trail Elementary bookmark, she said, finish Smith, students at Hen-
Teachers and schools School in Henrico County their shopping and then rico’s Ward Elementary
opt into these programs, and the vendors behind come back and pick it up. School, sold out of their
which give students a South Anna Elementary School’s team created a business Just Add Knots, were sell- Stephen Day, director homemade slime 45 min-
deeper understanding of making Peacock Pens for Mini-Economy Market Day. ing knotted bracelets of VCU’s Center for Eco- utes into the two-hour
economic concepts in- and gem magnets and nomic Education, said event. Their company was
cluding starting and run- Dominion University to consumer culture,” said bookmarks. programs that align real- MK Productions and they
ning a business, product host this one-day experi- Judi Crenshaw, communi- Business was good, they world economic skills with were also selling small
development, marketing ence for the students and cations and development said, explaining that their what students are already neon-colored rubber
strategies and price points teachers. Classes arrive on relations director for the idea for their business learning in class makes bouncy balls.
for their products, paying site and teams of students Virginia Council on Eco- came from their personal those lessons come alive “We really like making
taxes, supply and demand, set up their businesses. nomic Education. styles — glittery, sparkly for the students. When slime,” Smith said, add-
working and collaborating They’re in charge of sell- “If you get that ap- stuff — mixed with a bit of teachers can take a step ing that they wanted to
with others as a team. ing their products but preciation while they’re necessity. back and allow the stu- stand out from the crowd
The council then part- they’re also given “mini young, they can start to “We’re very glittery dents to work toward their so they diversified their
ners with nine colleges bucks” with which they understand the concept girls,” Chan said, and, “I own goals, the students product line. “We thought
and universities through- can shop the hundreds of human capital,” she can never find any book- become fully invested in adding some bouncy balls
out Virginia, including of items on sale by their said, and the value they marks so I thought it their education. would jazz it up.”
VCU, Christopher New- peers. hold as both consumers would be good to combine They realize that “their hprestidge@timesdispatch.com
port University, George “Even young children and future employees and those two things.” own ideas are valuable (804) 649-6945
Mason University and Old are participants in the employers. “All those con- Chan also explained when they put them into