"Making it Big" at BizTown

The Wallenpaupack sixth grade middle school students, “Make it Big” at BizTown. They participated in their first work day in an interactive, simulated economy at Junior Achievement in Pittston. It was amazing to see how engaged they were!  The 221 students worked a four and a half hour day utilizing the nineteen lessons learned in the classroom. Each student became a Town Citizen and assumed a job, such as bank teller, sales manager, mayor, meter reader, DJ, web designer, and more. They experienced economics first-hand by producing and selling products, receiving a paycheck, working as a member of a business team, repaying a business loan, shopping, and managing a personal bank account. They were grasping the concepts and just drawn into this economy. At the heart of the businesses were volunteers from our community with a diverse professional background, as well as parents, administrators and teachers. These volunteers encouraged and guided students to learn the value of contributing to their communities and to give them the confidence to be successful in the real world. At the closing town meeting the mayor recognized a business of the day and two citizens of the day and all the volunteers and awarded them with a certificate. The day at Junior Achievement taught the importance of education and motivated them to work harder to achieve educational and work goals. This experience provided the students with the skills necessary to succeed in a global economy. It is a memory the will take with them to reflect upon as they prepare for their future career goals.