Photo Caption: Eastside Elementary School high ability teacher Cathy Dowd poses with her third grade students. They recently helped raise more than $1,000 for Anderson Community Schools’ clothing bank by planning, creating, advertising and selling products as part of an entrepreneurship project.
Running a business requires know-how that goes beyond the product for sale, a group of budding entrepreneurs at Eastside Elementary School learned recently.
Third and fourth graders in two high ability classes created projects with basic business plans that involved calculating costs related to materials, production and advertising, according to high ability teacher Cathy Dowd.
The program wrapped up with a schoolwide sale, the proceeds from which were donated to Jacara’s Closet, a clothing bank serving Anderson Community Schools. Dowd said that by donating their profits, the students unearthed some important lessons that weren’t directly connected to their project requirements.
“Giving is a good thing to do,” Dowd said. “They have social conscience, even in third grade, and it’s important to develop that. But also, we can’t get everything that we want when we want it. We have to understand why costs are what they are, and that it’s normal for (prices) to rise if all the supplies (prices) rise.”
Dowd said between the two classes, more than 40 students produced between 20 and 25 items apiece. The creations ranged from bracelets to bookmarks, as well as other small collectibles. In order to maximize sales and profits, students often had to adjust their pricing. Additionally, they were tasked with developing plans to advertise their products.
“I had to change the price to $1 because they weren’t selling that well,” 8-year-old Sydni McCleery said of her inventory of small clay turtles, which she made in several different colors. “I learned how to make a business and learn how to run things for myself, and learn how to start doing things by myself, and I enjoyed doing that.”
Other students said they were surprised to learn of other skills needed to start and sustain a successful small business — especially time management.
“It’s probably best not to do things at the last minute,” said Oliver Logan, 9, who made and sold more than two dozen small clay animals — fish, lions and rabbits — for his project. “I had to spray paint this one the night before.
“The biggest thing I learned, though, was how I should advertise things a little bit more specifically,” he added. “Then people actually know what they are so they don’t have to buy it without knowing what it is.”
The sale, according to Dowd, raised $1,036.50 for Jacara’s Closet, a program designed to assist low income families who attend Anderson Community Schools. The program honors Jacara Buchanan, an Anderson High School graduate who died in 2016. Housed at the Anderson D26 Career Center, Jacara’s Closet offers free clothing and personal items to families in need while giving real-life experience to students in the center’s Employment Skills class.
“The fact that we’re donating (the proceeds) to a charity, that’s a whole other piece that we love,” said Val Scott, principal at Eastside Elementary. “Our motto is proud, positive and productive, and so we’re saying these are all things that help with that.”