SUN CITY STORIES

 

As soon as you step into Sageland MicroSociety Elementary School, you notice the colorful murals created by teachers and you can feel the care and dedication from the school’s faculty and staff as they teach students how to start their own business and manage their money.

Sageland MicroSociety Elementary School is unlike any other in El Paso because it provides a fully integrated MicroSociety curriculum that maximizes staff, faculty, student, parental and community involvement. While running and operating their own MicroSociety, a place where students create and manage their own businesses and governmental agencies — they also learn useful skills for the future, including financial literacy, entrepreneurship, problem-solving and critical thinking.

“We are proudly committed in providing innovative, powerful learning experiences to prepare our students for the future. Every student participates in our MicroSociety. Now, thanks to GECU, we will incorporate the Biz Kid$ curriculum to enhance our program” said Bernice Chavez, MicroSociety Coordinator

Sugar Scottie Treats

For this year’s Biz Kid$ Entrepreneur Competition, six sixth-grade students created their own business called Sugar Scottie Treats, a unique model that offers a convenient party-catering service at Sageland.

“We came up with the idea by asking ourselves what we wanted to see in our school and by asking parents, teachers and students.”
– Brandon, Sugar Scottie Treats

Through their research, the Sageland Biz Kid$ team discovered that according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, among married-couple families with children, 96.9% had at least one employed parent, and 61.9% had both parents employed. They developed a business model that takes away the worry and stress of planning a classroom celebration. Busy parents can save time and money by not having to run to the store to pick up overpriced cupcakes for the classroom to celebrate their children’s birthday. They can simply order them from Sugar Scottie Treats online.

What truly sets them apart is that they chose to create their own charity by setting aside 15% of the profits to provide a “Birthday in a Bag” to students at the school whose parents cannot afford to have a party for their child, because “every child is worth celebrating.”

“My favorite part of the competition was making all the treats with my friends and sharing them with each other. I feel we got a lot closer than we already were.”
– Amber, Sugar Scottie Treats

Tristate Winners

The six Sageland students, led by Bernice Chavez, entered the Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation’s Biz Kid$ Entrepreneur Contest and put their heart and soul into the competition.

“The competition required many hours of teaching the Biz Kid$ curriculum along with many hours of group meetings and planning. Weekends and after-school commitments were made from the students and facilitators, and these were critical in our business plan presentations.”
– Bernice Chavez, MicroSociety Coordinator

In the end, all that hard work paid off because the Biz Kid$ of Sugar Scottie Treats won the tristate Entrepreneur Contest!

“I was shocked and surprised! I couldn’t believe we had won such a huge competition.”
– Michelle, Sugar Scottie Treats

“We were so thrilled and I felt so proud when I learned that we had won the competition because we competed against several middle schools and many credit unions in three states.”
– Brandon Carrillo, Sugar Scottie Treats

“I couldn’t believe it! I was extremely happy and couldn’t wait to share the news with my family.”
– Amanda, Sugar Scottie Treats

This was Sageland’s first time participating in the competition and GECU collaborated with the school to help the students create their business plan.

“I think that getting along with others is important because you won’t get anything done if you don’t.”
– Jennelee, Sugar Scottie Treats

We’re confident that programs like the MicroSociety and the Biz Kid$ contest give students a better understanding of what makes a successful entrepreneur.

“I think the most important thing I learned is staying organized and teamwork because you need communication. I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up and I feel that this competition will help me run my own practice one day.”
– Michaela, Sugar Scottie Treats

“The foundation, educators and credit unions collaborated to teach the Biz Kid$ financial education curriculum and students developed creative and detailed business plans,” said Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation’s Financial Capability Director Paula Upchurch. “The students learned what it takes to work together as a team, and they have a better sense of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Thank you to GECU for their participation and special congratulations to Sageland Elementary as the 2018 Biz Kid$ Entrepreneur Contest Champions.”

This goes to show that you are never too young to set a foundation for financial literacy and entrepreneurship. We want to make sure every kid is better prepared for the road ahead and ready to explore their dreams.