Students helping create business plan
LOWER SALFORD >> When the planned North End Market opens next year on Main Street in Souderton, some of what people find there might come from suggestions made by Indian Valley Middle School students.
Sixth-graders in an Innovation class taught by librarian Amanda Hahn are working on ideas that will be presented later this month in a Shark Tank-type presentation, Hahn said.
“The kids had to come up with something that they thought would enhance customer experience at the market or something that they thought the market itself needed,” she said.
North End Market owner Bea Smith and Michael McCarthy, who is marketing the business, gave the stu-
dents information about the plans, she said.
“The kids just ran with it from there,” Hahn said. “They’ve come up with all kinds of things.”
The Innovation class used to be called Library Research and led to the students writing a research paper, she said.
This changes it to more of a community project, she said.
“It’s always good when you can make something authentic where they can see how it has an impact and that they connect to it,” Hahn said.
This is the first time the class is doing this, Principal Jeff Pammer said.
“It ties into business, marketing and entrepreneurship,” he said.
The students are learning to grapple with real world problems and come up with real world solutions, Assistant Principal Catherine Heller said.
“It makes the content that they’re learning relevant,” she said.
It’s also a way for the students to become more involved in the community, Hahn said.
The students have been very excited about the conferences with Smith and McCarthy as they work on developing their proposals, she said.
“They really listen and take what Michael and Bea say into consideration and have worked hard,” Hahn said.
“The Innovate Main Street project is meant to encourage kids to use their imagination, pursue their passions, collaborate, and work on teams to create innovative ideas that could be integrated into the North End Market next spring,” McCarthy and Smith said in a statement.
“Our mission is to bring opportunity and excitement to our community. We couldn’t be more excited to work with Indian Valley and Amanda Hahn’s sixth grade class on this project,” the statement said.
The student presentations will be made at North End Market at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, during an open to the public event running from 6 to 9 p.m., McCarthy said. The student presentations will probably go until about 6:30 p.m., he said.
“Those in attendance will have an opportunity to see visuals of future interior and exterior building designs, view presentations from students participating in the Innovate Main Street project, and enjoy an evening with our community,” a North End release said.
Beer, wine and spirits will be offered during the event, the release said.
“The public is encouraged to come and walk through the facility before construction begins in December 2018,” the release said.
Information about North End Market is available at the thenorthendmarket.com website and on Facebook and Instagram.