February 14, 2001
Heartfelt business venture
Eastern students create valentine cards
By LISA PERKINS
Herald staff writer
Fourth graders at Eastern Elementary are learning about the business end of the holiday usually associated with hearts and flowers. The valentine cards they exchange this year, while expressing heartfelt sentiment, were created by the students for their business, the Crazy Hearts Valentine Company.
Principal Bill Smith initiated the venture leading students to apply for a business start up loan from the school “bank.” The students then sold stock in their corporation, planned marketing strategies, investigated pricing standards, designed and produced cards, sold their product and figured their profit/loss status.
The students came up with 17 card ideas, each designed by a different student, with the help of a graphic artist hired as a consultant by the corporation. Dane Macdonnell confirmed that designing the cards was a lot of fun, “it was my favorite part of the project,” said the fourth grader.
Once the cards were complete, the students set out to sell their product. Each student took a turn manning the point of sale, the cafeteria. Sales were fast and furious during the first few lunchtime offerings, but just as in real life, business fell off. The students decided, with just a few days until the holiday, a sale seemed in order to move remaining inventories.
Three treasurers graphed the daily sales and tracked revenues and expenses. They were very pleased to report that the corporation would, in fact, finish in the black and return a profit to their shareholders.
“This has been fun, I have learned a lot,” said Noelle Reardon, as Principal Smith quizzed her on the differences between a sole proprietorship and a partnership.
With the success of the Crazy Hearts Valentine Company, phrases like “capital resource” and “market share” are just as like to be heard as “be mine” and “you’re cool” in the fourth- grade this Valentine’s Day.