By Carrie Debrone
Kitchener Citizen
Smithson Public School is turning out students with more than the usual academic knowledge– it’s turning out big thinking entrepreneurs.
A new business called The Glue Crew, a new socially-conscious company run by students in grades 5 and 6, began in September at the start of the new school year.
The Kitchener school students have partnered with grade 5 and 6 students at Alison Park Public School in Cambridge to run the new company. The local school serves as the business’s Kitchener branch while Alison Park students make up the Glue Crew Cambridge branch.
Alison Park Public School burned down three years ago and currently operates in the Forward Baptist Church in Cambridge.
Glue Crew makes and sells earrings and magnets.
Launching its products at the Smithson Public School Fall Fun Fair on Oct. 28, it will also be selling its merchandise at the Cambridge Market on Nov. 19 and at the Kitchener Market in January.
As part of the business, students are writing letters to local politicians and business owners in an effort to entice sponsors who will match their profits. Their business goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the year.
Smithson teacher Maria Mousseau is helping to guide the Smithson entrepreneurs, while her husband Ian Mousseau, who is the grade 5/6 teacher at Alison Park School, is helping the Cambridge students.
“The community is really starting to get involved. I think many people will connect with what the students are doing,” Mousseau said, adding that several local stores have agreed to sell the earrings and magnets made by the children.
An official company launch is planned on November 17 at Alison Park School, to which municipal and community officials have been invited.
“We told our kids to dream big,” Mousseau said, adding that the students have created the business on their own including writing a business plan, organizing marketing of the product, producing the items for sale, calculating the cost of producing each item and graphing sales, and producing a website and blog.
“They even chose what type of business they would develop and its name. The Cambridge branch came up with the name and my kids really liked it. They have accomplished so much already,” Mousseau said, adding that her students are quite serious about making the business succeed.
“They even turn themselves in and say they need to be assigned to another job within the business when they realize they are too slow or making mistakes when they create the earrings and magnets and have cost the company money,” she said.
The possibilities for teaching using a business model
are endless.
The business model is being used as a learning tool for many areas of the grade 5/6 curriculum from English and writing skills, to math and art, to media and technology.
“The whole idea is to broaden their writing, math and social skills. We’re just using the business to accomplish that and the kids have really taken responsibility for the whole project,” she said, adding that it is important to her students to help children in other parts of the world, but that they also want to help
each other here in their community.
“These kids have big hearts and they work so hard at it. I’m excited to see how well they will do by the end of the year,” she said.
With the motto of “Kids Helping Kids” part of The Glue Crew’s profits will go towards Free the Children, an organization founded by Craig Kielburger in 1995 when he gathered 11 school friends to begin fighting child labour. Today, Free The Children is the world's largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million young people involved in programs in 45 countries.
The remaining Glue Crew profits will go toward a year-end, educational program for the students of both classes. The students are hoping to make enough money to participate in JUMP a camp program offered at Wilfrid Laurier University that bridges elementary and university school levels.
For three days at the end of June, the students will get to experience the university while learning through fun educational classes, sleeping over for two nights at the university, swimming and going to a dance.
Anyone wanting more information about the project or to offer sponsorship may contact Maria Mousseau at Smithson Public School at 519-578-3890.
Kitchener Citizen
Smithson Public School is turning out students with more than the usual academic knowledge– it’s turning out big thinking entrepreneurs.
A new business called The Glue Crew, a new socially-conscious company run by students in grades 5 and 6, began in September at the start of the new school year.
The Kitchener school students have partnered with grade 5 and 6 students at Alison Park Public School in Cambridge to run the new company. The local school serves as the business’s Kitchener branch while Alison Park students make up the Glue Crew Cambridge branch.
Alison Park Public School burned down three years ago and currently operates in the Forward Baptist Church in Cambridge.
Glue Crew makes and sells earrings and magnets.
Launching its products at the Smithson Public School Fall Fun Fair on Oct. 28, it will also be selling its merchandise at the Cambridge Market on Nov. 19 and at the Kitchener Market in January.
As part of the business, students are writing letters to local politicians and business owners in an effort to entice sponsors who will match their profits. Their business goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the year.
Smithson teacher Maria Mousseau is helping to guide the Smithson entrepreneurs, while her husband Ian Mousseau, who is the grade 5/6 teacher at Alison Park School, is helping the Cambridge students.
“The community is really starting to get involved. I think many people will connect with what the students are doing,” Mousseau said, adding that several local stores have agreed to sell the earrings and magnets made by the children.
An official company launch is planned on November 17 at Alison Park School, to which municipal and community officials have been invited.
“We told our kids to dream big,” Mousseau said, adding that the students have created the business on their own including writing a business plan, organizing marketing of the product, producing the items for sale, calculating the cost of producing each item and graphing sales, and producing a website and blog.
“They even chose what type of business they would develop and its name. The Cambridge branch came up with the name and my kids really liked it. They have accomplished so much already,” Mousseau said, adding that her students are quite serious about making the business succeed.
“They even turn themselves in and say they need to be assigned to another job within the business when they realize they are too slow or making mistakes when they create the earrings and magnets and have cost the company money,” she said.
The possibilities for teaching using a business model
are endless.
The business model is being used as a learning tool for many areas of the grade 5/6 curriculum from English and writing skills, to math and art, to media and technology.
“The whole idea is to broaden their writing, math and social skills. We’re just using the business to accomplish that and the kids have really taken responsibility for the whole project,” she said, adding that it is important to her students to help children in other parts of the world, but that they also want to help
each other here in their community.
“These kids have big hearts and they work so hard at it. I’m excited to see how well they will do by the end of the year,” she said.
With the motto of “Kids Helping Kids” part of The Glue Crew’s profits will go towards Free the Children, an organization founded by Craig Kielburger in 1995 when he gathered 11 school friends to begin fighting child labour. Today, Free The Children is the world's largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million young people involved in programs in 45 countries.
The remaining Glue Crew profits will go toward a year-end, educational program for the students of both classes. The students are hoping to make enough money to participate in JUMP a camp program offered at Wilfrid Laurier University that bridges elementary and university school levels.
For three days at the end of June, the students will get to experience the university while learning through fun educational classes, sleeping over for two nights at the university, swimming and going to a dance.
Anyone wanting more information about the project or to offer sponsorship may contact Maria Mousseau at Smithson Public School at 519-578-3890.
Socially conscious Glue Crew business started by Kitchener and Cambridge grade 5 and 6 students
Grade 5 student Calvin Robert, dressed as a Goblin, and grade 6 student Braden Cote sell items at The Glue Crew booth during the Smithson Public School Fall Fun Fair held Oct. 28.
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