Sopris Sun THE
ST CONTE G N H IG E S R A E E D L – DESI YOUR UN F GN THE SOPRIS S
– DEADLINE EXT 3 ENDED TO APRIL 2 VOLUME 2, NUMBER 8 • APRIL 15, 2010
Learning the business of the future
From left: Alyza Ceballos, Isabelle Perea, Brianda Perea, Hannah Zigurs and Mariah Villalobos present their business plan to manufacture desks with built-in touch-screen computers for students as part of the Junior Achievement class. Photo by Trina Ortega
Junior Achievement teaches students personal finance, shines light on careers
Cover design contest extended Though we’ve had some great entries so far, we’ve decide to offer one more week to anyone who would like to design a new flag for The Sopris Sun. The flag is the thing at the top of the front page that says “The Sopris Sun.” The winner will receive a prize and his or her design will grace the front page every week. The size: 1.4 inches tall by 10 inches long.
By Trina Ortega The Sopris Sun
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The (new) deadline: April 23. How to submit it: Convert your digital creation to a PDF and email it to news@soprissun.com. If you work in another medium or if your digital file is too large, bring it to the Sun’s office at 711 Main St. in Carbondale, or mail it to The Sopris Sun, P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO, 81623.
More info: Contact Terray Sylvester, 618-9112 or news@soprissun.com.
ne invention is a hand-held computer with holographic images that can teach foreign languages, martial arts, or any other topic desired. Other innovations include a pair of hovering shoes, an earring with a microchip that follows voice commands and plays music, and a table with built-in laptops and printers. They are the ideas of Carbondale Middle School students who were encouraged in a special six-week class this semester to invent new products for U.S. consumers. But the class was about more than dreaming up big ideas.The students — roughly 35 teenage girls — also had to develop business plans, estimate manufacturing costs, design marketing plans, determine selling prices, and consider
other factors that would help them be successful business owners. The program“America Works”is one of numerous courses offered to elementary, middle and high school students through Junior Achievement of the Roaring Fork Valley, a non-profit with the mission of educating and inspiring young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives. Junior Achievement (JA) is an international organization with regional chapters funded by local community members and businesses. Across the nation, JA has been in operation since 1919. The Roaring Fork chapter started 10 years ago with a focus on workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
“The reason we first brought JA to the valley is because there was such a lack of economic education. We felt it would do well here,” said founding board member Robin Tolan, who served as director of the program for seven years and is currently on the board of directors. The program enlists local business owners and professionals to volunteer in the classroom teaching kids how to save money and balance checkbooks; discussing the role of families in local economies; examining a town’s economic development; exploring careers; and offering other lessons on how to be financially savvy. It also offers career days to eighth-graders and high school students. “As a student I never paid attention JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT page 8
Marble tourism groups in mediation
Summer school sliced
A Q&A with Michael Hassig
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