More than 40 community volunteers will take over the fifth and sixth grade classrooms at Riverside Intermediate in Plymouth on Friday, May 9th, for a Junior Achievement packed morning of economic lessons.
The volunteers will spend the morning in the classrooms mentoring students and sharing JA’s workforce readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship programs, which teach students age-appropriate, hands-on lessons about how to develop job skills, make wise career choices, and become financially literate global citizens.
“Junior Achievement is an ideal way for adults in our community to share business and life experiences with students and help them relate what they are learning in the classroom to the real world”, says Tom Wiers, President of Wiers International, and President of the Marshall County Junior Achievement Board of Directors. “JA programs are proven to help students understand vital economic concepts as they prepare for their futures. They not only learn about the economy and how it operates, but gain an understanding of future workplace opportunities and the important role that personal finance plays in having an economically successful future.”
Focusing on careers in the STEM arena, fifth grade students will learn about business’ need for individuals who can meet the demands of the job market, and will be introduced to the entrepreneurial thinking that meets the requirements of business and competition worldwide. Sixth grade students will explore personal finance and educational and career options, and will investigate choices, self-knowledge, decision-making, education and career options, budgeting, credit, and financial risk. The will also learn the principals of sound money management regardless of income.
“Junior Achievement has been a part of our 5th grade curriculum for many years” says Riverside Intermediate Principal Jeni Hirschy. “With 12 fifth grade classrooms it was often challenging to get enough volunteers to cover the lessons over several days. We are very much looking forward to the JA in a Day on May 9th, where a large number of community members will be visiting Riverside to share JA lessons in both our fifth and sixth grade classrooms. It is important to expose our students to the economic and business concepts that Junior Achievement offers. We look forward to this new partnership.”
JA is partnership between the business and education communities that teaches K-12 students age-appropriate hands-on lessons about how to develop job skills, make wise career choices, and become financially literate global citizens. JA is funded entirely by grants, individual and business contributions, and proceeds from fundraising events, and there is no cost to students or schools to participate. Due to business and community support, JA serving Marshall County will reach more than 1,500 students in Marshall County classrooms during the 2013-2014 school year, nearly three times as many students as were served during the 2012-2013 school year.
