Angus Elementary spends a day in adulthood at JA Biztown
/Biztown Mayor Jacob Simpson and Sand Springs Mayor Mike Burdge pose in front of the Biztown Town Hall. Burdge is a volunteer with the Biztown program.
74 students from Angus Valley Elementary traveled to Biztown last week to experience a day in the life of an adult at the simulated city owned by Junior Achievement of Tulsa.
The fifth-graders spent a month in preparation, filling out applications, interviewing, learning how to do their jobs, and learning how to balance a checkbook.
Business managers began the day by taking out loans for their companies. They set rates for their products, such as Reasor's groceries, Arby's snacks, newspapers, and souvenirs, and had to make enough profit to pay their employees' wages and repay their loans by the end of the day.
Wayne Moore A+ Auto Collision co-sponsored the trip for the second year and according to JA Development Manager Brian Jackson, the Angus Valley PTO was crucial in providing the opportunity for the kids.
According to Jackson, more than 120,000 students have gone through the Biztown program since its 2003 inception, and in that time they haven't had a single disciplinary issue. Every Sand Springs elementary school sends students through the program.
Junior Achievement is a non-profit youth organization that aims to prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. The students work in various sponsored businesses, including Bank of Oklahoma, The Linde Group, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Cox Radio, and the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper.
Garfield STEAM Academy will visit Biztown on January 18th, and Limestone Technology Academy will visit March 2nd.
