Teaching Entrepreneurship | NC RISING Reporter's Notes

I have to admit I’d never to given a lot of thought to what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Sure, like you, I’ve had what I consider a few good ideas…. But I’m not sure what to do with them.

Students in western North Carolina are learning skills that can help them launch their own entrepreneurial dreams. The program is called NC REAL. Real Entrepreneurship through Action Learning. It’s a curriculum that helps students learn how to start a school based business and perhaps learn what it takes to operate their own business one day.

The Communities in the Schools program is the driving force for this real life education project. Caldwell County students are writing business plans, developing budgets and marketing ideas even writing jingles.

Here are a few examples from their website of what they consider the success stories:

South Caldwell High School – Lori Baswell, Site Director
Year 1 (2009-2010) – Created a product to sell at school. Students made Mini Clipboards holding Post-It note pads and sold them to students and people throughout the community. During the year, students worked together to develop a business plan, learned about perennial flowers, and planted a flower bed at school that will be maintained by the CIS students.
The South Caldwell High School CIS Class showcased their Mini Clipboards at the Chamber of Commerce’s Business Showcase at the Broyhill Civic Center, April 21, 2010.

Year 2 (2010-2011) – Students will continue to make and sell Mini Clipboards, but will add holiday and seasonal designs this year. They have also added a newly designed Mini Clipboard with a magnet that students can hang in their lockers. The CIS class will continue to maintain the flower bed at the school, and will add additional flowers and mulch this year.
CIS students at South Caldwell are also participating in a Service Learning Project in their community. Students made posters and flyers for the Women’s Shelter Home “Love should not Hurt” fundraising event scheduled September 9 in Caldwell County.

West Caldwell High School - Rebecca Baker, Site Director
Year 1 (2009-2010) – Created a “Warriors of Rescue” Service Club. The motto of the service club is “CIS - Care, Identify, Serve”. The CIS Class at West Caldwell bought “Warrior’s Pride” wrist bands and sold them to students and the community for $1.00 each. The Warriors of Rescue Club raised $600. The money was used for service projects including money given to help pay for a West Caldwell student’s funeral, money given to a West Caldwell teacher whose husband is battling cancer, and money given to a teacher whose son has leukemia. The school’s local business partner, Anything Office, helped order the wrist bands and local community mentors helped sell.

Year 2 (2010-2011) – Students will continue the “Warriors of Rescue” Service Club. Students are working now to determine if they will continue to sell wrist bands or another item.

Hudson Middle School – Cherry Moss, Site Director
Year1 (2009-2010) & Year 2 (2010-2011) – Purchased Hudson Middle School Hornets “Remember” dog tags and re-sold to students and the community. The CIS class raised $1000 to create an outdoor café for teachers to use. The café is being built in memory of a 6th grade teacher and baseball coach, Mr. Mengay, who died of cancer. The students, with the help of community volunteers, planted flowers, put in a bench and tables. CIS students will continue the project this year and will add more flowers and a mural.

Cherry Moss uses REAL activities throughout the year and students have the opportunity to earn, and loose, “REAL” money. Students take the REAL money and use it to shop periodically in the CIS Class Store. CIS students enjoy learning about entrepreneurship and financial literacy while having fun and helping others.

Oak Hill Elementary: Mentors and students developed a food service business called “Sub Hub”. The class gave a lot of attention to business plan, budget and marketing development. They arranged for uniforms, had menus, a slogan, and an advertising jingle.

According to the NC Real website, more than 12 thousand people have been trained under the NC REAL program with 2.5 jobs created per venture.

The idea is that these skills can and should be taught just like any other subject. The students aren’t getting rich. But they are learning valuable lessons that may pay off one day for them and reap economic benefits for the local community. At least they’ll know what to do when a good idea comes to mind.

-Elizabeth Wilder, Producer