Hat High business class dukes it out for charity, entrepreneurial bragging rights
It was a final exam unlike any other as students from the Hat High Business Foundations 1 class held an end-of-semester, winner-take-all sales competition for local charity over the past week.
The class was divided into various teams directed by designated project leaders to research, develop, create and market a product to students at the school. The team raising the most money got all the other teams’ money, and was then able to designate the total amount to a local charity of its choice.]
Team Castle Co. was this year’s big winner, choosing Medicine Hat’s AJ’s Loan Cupboard to receive the $350 raised among the teams.
“We were selling popcorn for $2.50 a bag, and you could enter into a draw to win a gift card to Ralph’s as well,” said Castle Co. project leader Ryan Castle. “That gift card was a big part of our marketing campaign, and it might have been the reason we won.”
Placing a close second, with only $1 less raised, was Team Chocolate Rose.
“We sold chocolate roses,” explained project leader Andrew Shannon. “They took a long time to make. We had to melt chocolate, and so on, to make them. We made quite a few and they sold pretty well.”
Shannon said the experience for him and his teammates was a good one, but he felt he likely wasn’t cut out to own a business.
“I enjoyed doing it, but I don’t think I would do it again; unless it is for charity,” he said. “I learned it is good to give back to the community, and I also learned how to be competitive, do marketing and other traditional business things.”
Castle on the other hand, said the business foundations class gave him food-for-thought as he begins to think about his post-high school career.
“I have been looking into business,” he admitted, “so we’ll see.”
AJ’s Loan Cupboard representative Brenda Kingston was on hand to receive the donation from the class on Friday morning.
“We loan out medical equipment to the community,” explained Kingston, “and people are either injured or have a disability or illness on a short-term or long-term basis.
“We loan them out at no fee. It is wonderful to receive this today because donations are how we survive ... The funds we are getting today will be used to purchase cleaning supplies and parts to help maintain our equipment. It is wonderful for students to be aware and do something which helps make a community stronger and better.”