Falls Elementary third graders earned bragging rights last month to say they now know how to run cash flow reports for restaurants.
In May, more than 150 Falls Elementary third-, fourth- and sixth-grade students were part of the Falls first-time participation in the national Junior Achievement program.
“We have been working on work force development and developing an entrepreneurial culture in our community,” said Jenny Herman. “This is one of the programs.” Herman is a professional business consultant for the Small Business Development Center under the Koochiching Economic Development Authority.
Looking for more ways to connect the business community to local schools, Herman invited area business professionals to take part in Junior Achievement and present information to a handful of classrooms at Falls Elementary. Volunteers aimed to make a connection between what the students currently learn in school and how it can be applied in the real world.
The Junior Achievement program, in conjunction with the recent CEOs in the Classroom program, is an effort to use existing resources to promote economic literacy education and entrepreneurialism in the younger population, Herman said.
Students actively participated in a variety of presentations catered to their grade level, which were taught in a series of five to six sessions.
Third graders took part in a topic called “Our City,” in which they studied how businesses contribute to a city, the skills needed to work in specific area, and various careers. The students took part in activities intended to teach them how to apply information, conduct research, make decisions, fill out forms, interpret directions, read maps, do math computations and write news. The class also conducted role playing to learn about teamwork.
“Our City” was presented by volunteers Tony Palm, vice president of Bremer Bank in International Falls; and Leesa Palm of Boise Inc.
Students in fourth grade studied “Our Region,” which introduced the relationship between natural, human and capital resources found in different regions. The students were encouraged to explore the regional businesses that produce goods and services for consumers.
“It introduced the concept of globalization of business and the need for students to be entrepreneurial in their thinking,” Herman said.
Skills presented by volunteers John Winkel and Eric Strand of TruStar Federal Credit Union in the Falls included conceptualizing and designing advertisements, critical thinking, verbal communication and reasoning, drawing conclusions, estimating and evaluating.
All sixth-grade classrooms participated in “Junior Achievement Economics for Success,” which provided practical information about personal finance and the importance of identifying education and career goals based on a student’s skills, interests and values.
“It also demonstrated the economic benefits of staying in school,” Herman explained. Herman presented to sixth-graders along with Cindy Youso of Border State Bank; Shane Talley of Edward Jones Investments; and Darwin Joslyn of MD&W Railway.
The local pilot program is expected to lead to an annual participation.
“The kids are the future of our community, so if we can get them to start thinking about ways to create jobs, start business, improve their education — that just improves our community,” Herman told The Journal. “Something that we’re looking at is bringing (the program) to all schools in Koochiching County.”
Herman originally presented the idea to Falls Elementary School Principal Jerry Hilfer with the plan to start the program next school year. Hilfer suggested trying it with a handful of classes this year and expand to a larger number of students next year. The Junior Achievement program is tailored for students in grades K-12 nationwide.
Herman said feedback from students and parents about the program has shown that the program should continue to grow in local school systems.
“(My daughter) calls me when she gets home from school, bubbling over what you are doing with them,” one parent wrote to third-grade teacher Marci Nemec.
Another third-grader wrote to Herman that the class had fun learning to “spend your money wisely,” how to write a check, and that “it is a lot of planning to build a building.”
In a note to Herman, one student wrote the presentations will help her make “the best financial choices in the future.”
