TREP$ Entrepreneurship Program

On Friday, March 18th, students at Califon Public School who participated in the TREP$ Entrepreneurship Program opened their businesses to the public. The TREP$ Marketplace was the culmination of hard work for many 4th and 5th graders at the school who participated in six workshops that taught students the intricacies of running a business.

6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who attended these workshops at younger ages also participated in an event, that was received very positively by the Califon community. Creativity seemed to be the theme of this year’s Marketplace, as students offered goods and services, such as do-it yourself string art and student made candles, stepping stones, board games, comics, and pickles, among many other interesting items.

TREP$ Co-Chairs, Marie Heyduke (middle school math teacher) and Matt Zimmerman (technology & enrichment teacher), love the program because it teaches the children about the responsibilities of running a business. They believe the program teaches vital 21st Century life skills that are often a challenge, to teach in the regular school curriculum. In the Trep$ Program, students learn how to effectively manage money, take out loans, and understand the fundamental costs, a business owner encounters.

Students also learn important social skills, how to be professional, and how to be accountable for making a commitment. Mr. Zimmerman stated, “The best part of the TREP$ Marketplace is seeing the hard work of the students pay off. The students are obviously proud of the products they have made and understand that the interactions they have with potential customers is of utmost importance.

The young entrepreneurs are able to explain and talk about the process of running a business and are very excited to do so with our small close-knit community.” Ms. Heyduke said, “I was happy to see students walk away with money from their sales that can be saved. It was most touching to see some students donate profits to charities such as Eleventh Hour Rescue (http://www.ehrdogs.org/), an organization that saves abandoned cats and dogs and Students Rebuild (http:// www.studentsrebuild.org), an organization that builds schools for children in need around the world . It shows how giving many members of our school community are, which makes me proud to be an educator.”

More information about the TREP$ program can be found at www.trepsed.com. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach Marie Heyduke at mheyduke@califonschool.org  or Matthew Zimmerman at mzimmerman@califonschool.org

Last modified: May 23, 2016