SAVVY KIDS

In April 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the extension of the National School Lunch

Program Summer Seamless Option through June 30, 2022. This program allows schools to serve free meals to all students as we continue through the COVID-19 pandemic. This announcement lifted the burden of paying for school lunches of many Pulaski County families.

Pulaski County Special School District is still required to collect free and reduced lunch applications for the 2021-2022 school year, despite the announcement from the USDA. These applications not only request a free or reduced lunch cost, but may also reduce and/or waive school fees for other programs outside of the meal program. The application also impacts the state and federal funding the District receives for other projects.

PCSSD understands the importance of providing healthy breakfast and lunch options to our students. This is why we continue to evaluate and review student nutrition to ensure the best possible resources are being provided to students of all ages.

“Students need fuel in order to learn, providing them with meals assures students are not focusing on being hungry instead they can focus on learning to grow,” said Regena English, Director of Student Nutrition. “Some families are unable because of hard times to provide nutritious meals and this is available free to every student through the National School Lunch Program.”

New this school year is an exciting partnership with Chartwells K-12. This partnership is improving the manner in which PCSSD is able to provide a new variety of fresh food options to each of our schools.

“We are so excited to partner with PCSSD in an effort to make the cafeteria the happiest place in schools,” said Tiffany Reed, Director of Student Nutrition. ”Student nutrition is so important and we are excited to bring kid-approved menus and innovative programs to the district to help support the cause. We’re dedicated to serving up ‘happy and healthy’ to every student, every day.”

While all student meals are free for the 2021-2022

school year. Adult or non-student breakfast is $2.50, and adult or non-student lunch is $3.75.

ABOUT PCSSD

Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 25 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County since July 1927.

PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.

Dec. 3-23 CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS AT THE REP

The whole Peanuts gang comes to life, featuring a fantastic, jazz-infused score. For matinee performances, come early or stay after — the Rep building will be alive with kid-friendly holiday activities (Santa!!!!) and unique gift shopping. Between the nostalgia and the fun, you’re guaranteed to feel the holiday spirit. Visit for times and tickets www.therep.org

Through Dec. 27 DINO LITES

Fridays & Saturdays, 5-7 p.m. The 4th Annual Dino-Lites at Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs is nothing short of dino-mite! Dinosaurs bedecked in lights, palling around with Santa? What more could any kid want? Visit www.midamericamuseum.org Dec. 9-12 BALLET ARKANSAS’S ‘NUTCRACKER SPECTACULAR’

Robinson Center A holiday tradition for families across Arkansas, “The Nutcracker Spectacular” is the largest and longest-running holiday production in the state. Performances include live accompaniment from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and a community cast of more than 250 singers and dancers. Student matinee performances are available for reservation. Visit www.balletarkansas.org

Dec. 8-18 ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’

Argenta Community Theater, North Little Rock A holiday favorite returns! This year’s production of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” has a familiar cast of characters played by many new faces. You won’t want to miss this family friendly production’s final spin on the ACT stage. Visit www.argentacommunitytheater.org

give the gift of a museum membership!

Family $85

Unlimited admission for one year for five people. $10 for each additional person.

• Free admission to over 350 science centers, including Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville • 10% discount on Explore Store purchases • $25 off birthday party and select summer camp registrations • Enrollment in Birthday Club and Gift Concierge services • Invitations to members-only events

Contributing $125

Unlimited admission for one year for seven people. $10 for each additional person.

• All benefits listed in Family

Membership • Half-price admission to over 200 children’s museums, including

Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Bay

Area Discovery Museum and Miami

Children’s Museum • Two one-time guest passes for friends and family

More membership options available. Purchase at www.museumofdiscovery.org or call 501.396.7050

Discovery $500

Unlimited admission for one year for eight people. $10 for each additional person.

• All benefits listed in Contributing Membership • Tax-deductible gift to Museum of Discovery • Digital donor wall recognition • Invitations to special events • Private animal meet-and-greet

Enjoy an interactive evening with food and beverages, a premier auction and hands-on activities

ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS BROGAN FOUNTAIN (LEFT) AND MICHAEL DEVERE BRUSHED UP ON THEIR BUSINESS SKILLS DURING THE 2021 INNOVATION CHANGEMAKER CHALLENGE. ON THE COVER, SHARLOTTE DAVIS WEARS ONE OF HER PRESSED-FLOWER NECKLACES FROM ONE OF HER LATEST BUSINESS VENTURES.

BEYOND THE LEMONADE STAND

KID ENTREPRENEURS LEVEL UP.

BY KATHERINE WYRICK PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

Though not all kids become entrepreneurs, almost all show a capacity for creative thinking that, if nurtured, could lead them down that path. One particularly enterprising classmate of mine from the early ’80s left a lasting impression. He had a pallid complexion, a shock of white-blonde hair and the faintest suggestion of a mustache, and he sold Charms blow pops out of a paper bag during recess. This guy made serious bank. He then added to his already ample savings by winning a tiller on a call-in radio giveaway (Magic 105), which he turned around and sold.

Fast-forward 33 years, I was reminded of him when I found myself standing on the adjoining playground of the elementary school as a similar, albeit sweeter, scene unfolded. My first-grader and his friends showed a spark of entrepreneurial spirit when, playing after school one day, they set up shop “selling” objects they were sculpting from the packed clay of the soccer field. (Rocks served as currency.) As we were walking home afterward, my son sighed, “Whew, having a small business is really tough.”

There’s an ongoing debate about whether entrepreneurs are born or made. The truth is it’s probably a bit of both. We’re fortunate to have a number of resources in our community that support youth entrepreneurship. Here we talk to a couple of them, as well as to budding “kidpreneurs” and local business leaders.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MOVERS & MAKERS

Sharlotte Davis, a sixth-grader at the Little Rock School District’s Pulaski Heights Middle School, showed an interest in business from an early age. During the pandemic, she discovered a passion for baking (rivaled only by her passion for the musical “Hamilton”). Using her allowance money for supplies and ingredients, she started a business called Bumble Bee Brownies that she marketed and sold to friends and neighbors. Abbi of Abbi’s Teas in Hillcrest acted as a kind of mentor, inviting Sharlotte to sell her baked goods at her stand for a day. It was a learning experience.

Sharlotte still enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, but for the moment her interests have shifted to bath and beauty products and jewelry making. She crafts delicate necklaces from resin and crushed flowers and is teaching herself to make eyeshadow, lip gloss and bath bombs. She and a friend are planning to make and sell handmade wreaths during the holidays. It’s no surprise that she

Two successful, local businesswomen share advice and inspiration.

RESTAURATEUR HEATHER BABER-ROE

Heather and her husband, Craig Roe, own Baja Grill, which has one location in Little Rock and another in Benton. They also recently acquired the popular Valhalla :: Kitchen + Bar.

What advice would you give to a budding kidpreneur?

Choose something you love. There will be days you want to give up, but don’t. It’s harder to let those days get to you when you’re doing something you truly care about.

Do you think failures are as important as successes?

I think “failures” aren’t always really failures. They’re an opportunity to learn what to do differently next time. I’ve always learned more from failures than from successes.

The restaurant business is tough. What do your kids think of your accomplishments? What are their favorite menu items?

Well, we have teenagers, and I’m pretty sure they’re not impressed by anything! Bristol loves our queso and fajita steak tacos. Maddox is the biggest pizza fan, so he’s enjoying our new venture, Valhalla :: Kitchen + Bar. Our oldest, Camber, loves the enchiladas.

JEWELRY DESIGNER BRANDY THOMASON MCNAIR

Brandy Thomason McNair launched Bella Vita Jewelry in 2008. Today, her handmade jewelry can be found in more than 200 brickand-mortar stores across the U.S. and Canada, as well as in her retail shop in downtown Little Rock.

Any wisdom you’d like to share with biz-minded kids?

Keep an open mind and explore as many mediums and trades as you can. Take your time figuring out what you are the best at and make it your own. And it is OK if you don’t know what you want to be when you grow up; we are always changing and evolving and learning. jumped right into Future Business Leaders of America when she arrived at middle school. A natural born leader, Sharlotte didn’t just join the club; she became its vice president. Sharlotte has a self-assuredness, curiosity, drive and enthusiasm that will hold her in good stead in future endeavors (and there are sure to be many).

As fifth-graders at Pulaski County Special School District’s Baker Elementary last school year, Brogan Fountain, 12, and Michael Devere, 11, along with three other team members, won second place in the 2021 Innovation Changemaker Challenge sponsored by The Innovation Hub. The Hub’s Education Lead, Hannah May, described the competition as “like Shark Tank for kids.” The challenge took about six weeks, during which the team kept a detailed log book to help organize and illustrate their multi stepped process, which included multiple brainstorming sessions, defining potential problems, doing background research, specifying requirements (asking “who’s your target user?”), coming up with solutions (making sketches, thinking about what skills and materials were needed) and finally testing and evaluating a prototype. The team generated several ideas, among them: a mask with a zipper, a remote control car that doesn’t break when hitting a wall, and a box that sanitizes masks. They ended up landing on “Squeezy’s,” an on-the-go toothbrush with built-in toothpaste.

May explained that The Hub provides a curriculum for the teachers to follow week by week, plus instructional videos and consultations as needed. “The teachers move the kids through the project, but we lay out the criteria and offer support along the way.” She added that Brogan and Michael’s team had the most entertaining pitch in the whole competition.

We met Brogan and Michael at the Pulaski County Special School District’s Joe T. Robinson Middle School, where they attend sixth grade. Brogan said she was both surprised and pleased by their win. “I was like, ‘How did we do that?’ ” Asked what she learned by taking part in the competition, Brogan said that it taught her to think about things differently. Soft-spoken and poised, she mused, “Now I look at stuff and think, ‘I wonder how that was created,’ or ‘What if you put this and this together? How would that work?’ ” Michael, though he has an easy confidence, said that he had to overcome fear when presenting the project. Brogan concurred. Not only did they have to go before a panel of judges, make their pitch and take part in a Q&A, but they were competing against a group that included 12th-graders. It was a nerve-wracking experience but one that left both students feeling empowered and eager to pursue other challenges.

ONE OF THE SQUEEZY’S PROTOTYPES, CREATED BY THE 5TH GRADE BAKER ELEMENTARY TEAM.

Please share any businesses or creative ventures from your childhood.

I was born into a family of entrepreneurs; my grandparents both had businesses, and

READ ALL ABOUT IT

We were delighted to discover “Little Launchers,” an entrepreneur kid series by Arkansas native Erica Swallow. These nonfiction picture books tell the stories of four real kid entrepreneurs with real businesses. There’s Gabby, who invents the perfect hair bow; Sebastian, who creates a sock company; Jason, who saves the environment through entrepreneurship; and Rachel, who turns her passion into a business.

Swallow’s own success story is inspirational: A first-generation college student from Paragould, she holds degrees from NYU, MIT and Simmons University. She is also the founder of Southern Swallow digital consultancy and has appeared in Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fortune and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications. She’s made it her mission to lift up and educate future generations.

Y.E.S. YOU CAN!

Like the Innovation Hub, Arkansas Capital Corp. is dedicated to nurturing our state’s future entrepreneurs. Its Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase (Y.E.S.) introduces elementary and middle school students (grades 5-8) to entrepreneurship through a hands-on, structured business planning competition. Y.E.S. brings together 25 teams of finalists from school districts across the state, offering them a chance to develop and show off their creative, innovative and teamwork skills. Prizes are awarded in a variety of categories, from best business plan to best retail booth.

Continued from page 59 my dad was a stonemason and then a full-time farmer. I started working at a very young age (by my choice). I started selling my jewelry when I was in junior high, and sold my macrame designs at a local natural foods store. Then in high school, I had a couple art shows when I worked at Crescent Moon Beads in Eureka Springs in the late ’90s. I think experiencing all of this at such a young age boosted my confidence and made me comfortable putting my work out there and selling my work when I started my business.

How have you supported aspiring young artists?

We recently hosted a pop-up event that featured Sadie Cake Art. Sadie is 11 and has been making jewelry for about a year.

MOVES

MEET BRANDON: FATHER, COMMUNITY LEADER, DYNAMIC PRACTITIONER

“I think that everybody has two choices in life: either to go forward or to stop, and I just don’t like stopping.”

read more about brandon whitfield and how his life changed after frank snell invited him to take a walk with

him at snellarkansas.com

RESTORING MOBILITY AND INDEPENDENCE SINCE 1911

Little Rock n Bryant n Conway n Fayetteville n Fort Smith n 800-342-5541 Hot Springs n Mountain Home n North Little Rock n Pine Bluff n Russellville

SAVVYkids

PUBLISHER BROOKE WALLACE | brooke@arktimes.com

EDITOR KATHERINE WYRICK | katherinewyrick@ arktimes.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE LESA THOMAS

FIND MORE AT SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

C. Sam Walls III, chief operating officer and president of Arkansas Capital, believes it’s important to introduce the principles of entrepreneurship to students at a young age, a cause he’s championed for two decades. “It began with Arkansas Governor’s Cup, a collegiate competition, over 20 years ago,” Walls explained. “The goal was to promote entrepreneurship in Arkansas and stress the state’s rich history of entrepreneurship among college students.”

After the success of the Governor’s Cup, Walls said they started asking themselves, “How much further down the line can we go? There was a study that said you could teach entrepreneurial concepts and ideas as early as in kindergarten, in age-appropriate ways obviously, so we said, ‘Let’s carve out an appropriate niche for grades fifth through eighth.’ ” Thus Y.E.S. was born. Arkansas Capital attempted to implement a program at the high school level, but paused it a couple of years ago.

To date, 11,974 students have participated and $2.71 million has been awarded through Y.E.S. and Arkansas Governor’s Cup.

Walls was quick to give credit to other organizations making a difference. He said, “When we started this thing we were pretty much the only guys out there singing about entrepreneurship, but that’s certainly not the landscape today. Economics Arkansas is doing some great work as far as education within the classroom. EAST does interesting things. We’re a piece of the broader puzzle of promoting entrepreneurship in our state.”

Echoing what we heard from educators, Walls opined, “This is not something that’s just for gifted and talented students. We’ve encouraged schools to take a broader perspective. Entrepreneurship and grades don’t always go hand in hand. We get teacher feedback all the time about shy students who light up when talking about business ideas. This is for all kinds of students.”

For Walls, the essence of entrepreneurship boils down to this: “I maintain that it’s a discipline of looking at the world a little bit differently. Most people go down the road and see something just for what it is, but an entrepreneur will ask the question, ‘What could it be? Could I do it better and profitably?’ ”

Walls shared his favorite illustration of entrepreneurship at work: As a boy he wore ballcaps, and he remembers using his bedside table lamp as a de facto hat rack. Early on in his work at Arkansas Capital, on an expo day, he saw that some kid had the bright idea of putting hooks on a lampshade. “Now, I’m not suggesting they could have made a billion dollars on it,” Walls said. “But if you can get kids who go through life thinking like that, someone’s going to stumble on the next really great thing. That one has always stuck with me because I related it to my own youth.”

RESOURCES

ACTON CHILDREN’S BUSINESS FAIR

A nonprofit started in Austin, Texas, Acton hosts business fairs all over the country. Mark your calendars for the one in Little Rock on Sept. 10, 2022. childrensbusinessfair.org

ARKANSAS CAPITAL

arcapital.com/yesforarkansas EAST INITIATIVE

eastinitiative.org THE INNOVATION HUB

Arhub.org ECONOMICS ARKANSAS

(for teachers)

economicsarkansas.org

FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA (FBLA)

fbla-pbl.org NATURAL STATE ENTREPRENEURS

(for teachers) naturalstateentrepreneurs. weebly.com