JA BizTown Camp took place at MHSAP last week, Mon.-Fri., August 24-28. There were 79 students (grades 4-8) who participated in the camp which emphasized financial literacy. They learned what it takes to make a town run successfully and then were put in charge of that town on Friday.
Students even got to vote for their town’s mayor! On Monday everyone was told about the election for mayor and the students could choose if they wanted to run. Several students brought speeches Tuesday to share in their classrooms. Each classroom then voted for who would represent them. On Wednesday morning everyone met to hear the five candidates: Ian, Charlie, Amber-Lee, Cora and Nina. Everyone in town cast a ballot and the winner, by one vote, was Cora!
Key concepts covered included: money management, teamwork, philanthropy, economy, supply and demand and scarcity, job application skills, and many others. The week was filled with hands-on learning and having fun as students took on various roles, managed businesses, and experienced real-world financial responsibilities.
Thank you to the MHSAP staff as well as Junior Achievement for making this an experience that will stay with these students a long time!