Friday, June 17, 2016
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The fourth-grade students divided into several groups to work on the activities in the JA Our Region program for the Junior Achievement program on May 10 at Dobbins.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Fourth-grade students at Dobbins Elementary participated in activities the volunteers from Junior Achievement brought on May 10.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Students worked on an activity where they were the owner of a hot dog stand as part of the Junior Achievement program on May 10.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.All of the fourth grade classes at Dobbins Elementary participated in the Junior Achievement Our Region program on May 10.
Photo
Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Students worked one of the activities from the Junior Achievement Our Region program and learned what it's like to own a hot dog stand.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley visited the fourth-grade students at Poland Dobbins Elementary on May 10.
Volunteers with the Junior Achievement program taught the fourth-graders a lesson about entrepreneurship. The students engaged in five different activities focusing on different aspects of business and what an entrepreneur is. Junior Achievement has two models they follow to provide students information about different programs. There is a traditional way which includes a program once a week for five weeks and the other option is for the schools to dedicate one day to Junior Achievement to come in and explain all five sessions in one day.
“We have over 400 volunteers. Volunteers from the business community, a lot of times we have banks and different places like, that brings the extra aspect educators bring,” said Melissa D’Apolito, the Program and Special Events Marketing Coordinator.
The program focused on the JA Our Region program students. This program is targeted specifically toward fourth-grade students to teach them about what it takes to be an entrepreneur and the resources they use. The five sessions used are to help students grasp the concept of owning and operating a business using available resources.
The lessons are all incorporated in with the Ohio State Standards and reinforce what the students are learning in the classroom. There are different programs that are designed to match the standards of students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Junior Achievement visits more than 10,000 students a year.
“A lot of times our volunteers will pick local entrepreneurs so the kids will understand better,” said D’Apolito.
The sessions the students at Dobbins participated in involved exploring well-known businesses and their origins, resources and how entrepreneurs use them for the region their business is in, playing a game in which they are the owner of a hot dog stand, problem solving and demonstrating the supply chain by hands-on manufacturing and trade experience.
Junior Achievement gives students in all grades experience they can use throughout their life and sometimes helps them find the career path they want to follow.