McGuffey students learn business lessons

McGuffey students learn business lessons

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A group of elementary school students received a lesson in business and billionaires during a meeting of the school’s Key Club.

Members of the William Holmes McGuffey Elementary School’s Key Club – a student leadership organization – met Friday to hear from Derrick McDowell, special guest speaker and the creator of Youngstown Flea.

McDowell told students he began the 65-vendor Youngstown Flea as a way to provide smaller-scale entrepreneurs with an affordable venue for selling their goods.

He emphasized the need for students to embrace reading and to remain curious about the world.

McDowell also advised students to encourage their parents to take them on short trips out of the city to help broaden their horizons and build their curiosity.

At the end of the presentation, McDowell told the students the world’s billionaires weren’t sports stars or celebrities, but the “smart people” who invent or invest in the companies and products that students often consider boring.

The school’s Key Club participated in several service projects last year, including food drives at Thanksgiving and Christmas.