#339. More Young Entrepreneurs
Posted on | The Agurban|
More Young Entrepreneurs
We recently learned of another great project led by a high school business class.
The 650 people in Leeton, Missouri, had been without a grocery for a decade when town leaders opened the Bulldog Express in 2009 as a project by high school business classes. The store is staffed by students, and offers home delivery within the Leeton city limits.
Susan Crooks, Superintendent of the Leeton School District, wrote in the school newsletter, “Because of the success of the school based grocery store, Ray Patrick, president of Missouri Association of Rural Educators (M.A.R.E.), suggested our district as a site for the Board of Directors of the Rural School and Community Trust Board to visit. It was exciting to meet the directors and have a question/answer session with the students and sponsors of the Bulldog Express. The Directors were complimentary of the students, school and the working relationships we have with our community. Although this grocery store has proven to be a vital component of our town it is also so important to the academic success of the students and the real life experiences that each is gaining. We as a community should be very proud of the success the Bulldog Express is having and the exposure it has brought to our community. …(I)t is our hope we can continue to provide students with real life situations in an untraditional learning environment.”
The Bulldog Express celebrated its two year anniversary in January 2009 with a customer appreciation day. The school recently received a grant awarded by the Rural Schools Partnership, and the students have plans to expand the grocery store by adding a coffee shop and deli. What a great experience for these students! And what a valuable asset to the community! Are your area schools partnering with organizations or communities to provide needed services? Please share your stories – we will post follow-up stories. |