Students learn marketing skills

Good behavior and good grades often create a little green in the hands of students, but at Rutherford College Elementary School, their green was in the form of checks.
Simple, photocopied green checks offered a lesson on checks and balances.
Beginning in September, fifth-grade students started earning money each day for school work or good behavior, fifth-grade math teacher Mary Gibson, said. She has utilized the teaching tool for eight years at Rutherford College Elementary.
"The cash goes into an account and each student receives a balance sheet," Gibson said. No real cash exchanges hands or is earned by the students. The whole premise is using the system to teach the kids about economics.
"Every nine weeks we have a sale," Gibson said. "This gives the students a chance to earn more money and they can also make purchases from other students where they write checks and subtract those for the balance," she said.
This teaching tool also has uncovered the big spenders and a few misers, too, Gibson added. Students can create items to sale, advertise those items and also purchase from other students during the sale.
Gibson said, "Some kids will spend while some keep money in their bank account."
Looking around at the various merchandise her students were selling, Gibson said, "Some years are more successful, and this group has really taken off with it. We do encourage creativity."
Thriftiness also is encouraged. A simple example is slingshots made with twigs.
"We try to do something that is not to expensive," Gibson said.
Most items were hand made with assistance from parents or teachers. Some were edible while others just plain cute, such as snowman pencil toppers crafted by Evan Tomlinson. Hand-made ornaments, necklaces, stickers and bookmarks were big sellers.
Tomlinson, who was operating Clay Factory, CE, which stood for Christmas Edition, said his mother assisted him in making his magic model clay merchandise.
"They are selling pretty good," Tomlinson said of his clay pencil toppers. "The snowman are the best sellers and each one ranges from $2 to $8," he said.
Prices have gone up this year according to Karen Auton, a fifth-grade reading teacher.
"They have also learned social studies and supply and demand. During the last sale, prices were 25 and 50 cents now they are $5 and up," she said.
Auton said the activity helps the students' writing skills by utilizing cursive writing, creativity with advertising and quality time with parents making their merchandise to sell.
"The parents and kids bond and they form relationship with other students while spending time together," she said.
Justin Spurling and J.T. Cook worked together offering ornaments and homemade white chocolate lollipops designed like sports balls and ornaments at Justin & J.T.'s Everything shop. The pair even offered a buy-two, get-one-free deal on the lollipops.
Each of the stores had poster-board signs which told the name of the store and sale items.
Kaston Shawver named his store Dirty Diaper, Inc.
"I wanted a funny name," he said. Shawver wasn't selling diapers, but he had decorated popsicle frames and wooden boxes with Hershey Kisses in them. "So far I've made $63," he said.
Gibson said at the end of the day she goes over the balance sheets checking the students' addition and subtraction.
"I total up their earnings and split it if they have a partner. We figure a profit and then charge for advertising," she said.
The bottom line is carried over to the next nine-week sale, Gibson added.
Faculty members, parents and students are all invited to shop. Friday's sale went over with a bang with Christmas shopping in full swing.
"This is the best hands-on math lesson," Rutherford College Principal Becky Roach said, "They are learning and they don't realize they are learning."
"I love to see the kids happy about what we're doing," Roach said, "Their enthusiasm is contagious.
"There's nothing better than an endless checking account."