Jul 13 2008
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE)
In June 08, before the end of the school year, the Student Council voted for a $300 seed fund to distributed to the summer school High school classes. The purpose of this fund is to challenge the thinking of students in free enterprise. the goal is to see if the students can double the $300 investment and turn a profit for student council based on the idea of free enterprise -running a summer school business over 6 weeks.
In the first week July 7-11, the students sponsored a salad bar and made a profit of @$54. Each week the students working with three teachers, Cindy Jackson, Amy Montgomery and Jim Hedlund will embark on a business venture aimed at teaching successful work habits, the value of profit and loss, advertising, how to start and run a business, customer relations etc.
In the new school year, 2008-09 student council might well benefit from sponsoring a sister club SIFE devoted to the notion of promoting free enterprise with an additional foray into donating some of the profit to a needy organization that benefits students eg. research into autism, cerebral palsy, mental illnesses or pervasive developmental disorders all issues that impact the quality of life of our students. What do you think?
One response so far
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What a great experience for your students to develop, market, and implement a business where they will take away the many valuable skills that you mentioned. No matter if they succeed in doubling the money or not, the students who participate in this project will have personal growth that far exceeds the monetary gains they make. The experience will be one that they can draw on throughout their lives. I agree that the student council should sponsor the sister club promoting free enterprise, allowing more students to participate in the process. Your idea of donating some of the profits to deserving organizations also teaches the important lesson of sharing with others your good fortune, and that you do not need to be Bill Gates to be a philanthropist.