After more than a month of preparation and anticipation, our trip to BizTown finally arrived! Dressed in our finest clothes, we boarded the buses and headed downtown to Junior Achievement's BizTown.
We gathered at City Hall for an opening Town Meeting. We were greeted by the workers of BizTown and were given information to get us started for the day.
Before we knew it, we were sent off into our business teams to open up our businesses. There was a list of things that needed to be completed before BizTown was officially opened. Checks were made to City Hall, payroll was set up, prices were set, and products were displayed.
We gathered together once more to hear from the CEO's of each business and what their company had to offer to the citizens of BizTown.
Once BizTown was officially opened for business the citizens took turns working in the shops and taking their assigned breaks.
Before spending money at BizTown, citizens had to take their identification cards and checkbooks to the bank. They had to open a saving account, deposit their paychecks, and fill out deposit slips for cash to spend at BizTown.
Each business had something different to offer. Charles Penzone, The Blue Jackets Shop, and Raising Canes offered products. The Digital Media Center, TV Station, and Sign Shop were in charge of filming commercials, documenting the day with photos, creating business cards, business ads, and creating BizTown's official blog and newspaper. City Hall kept things running smoothly in BizTown by making sure everyone's business was in compliance, paid taxes, offered voting, and delivered mail to the citizens.
The TV Station kept the day moving by playing song requests and announcing each businesses' radio commercial over the loud speaker.
BizTown was such an amazing and memorable experience for each student. They had the chance to see what it's really like to spend a day "in the real world". The students learned life skills such as budgeting their money, balancing their checkbooks, paying taxes, opening savings accounts, voting, and being responsible for job duties. When we got back to Wickliffe, the students couldn't believe how exhausting the real world is!
I would like to thank the parent volunteers who took time out of their busy schedules to make this day possible. Our trip would not have been successful without all of your help! We really appreciate it!
Our preparation and visit to BizTown were a perfect segway into our newest endeavor, Marketplace!
