Marion Graham Collegiate‘s school store was opened and ran by students in the school’s Entrepreneurship 30 class and Alternative Education program. Saskatoon Public Schools Foundation gave $1500 to the school store as one of the 2023/24 Power Up Projects.
The young entrepreneurs at Marion Graham gained real-world business experience through this project. The students developed their practical skills by designing projects, finding suppliers, ordering merchandise, setting pricing details, and surveying other students at the school. Kris Street, the Entrepreneurship teacher at Marion Graham, helped the students gain the skills necessary for this project. The survey resulted in the students knowing what merchandise was in higher demand. This knowledge was subsequently considered when organizing back-end aspects of running a store including ordering and designing.
Kelsey Smith, the Alternative Education teacher at Marion Graham, helped students who worked the front-end of the store. These students learned about taking orders and payment, delivering merchandise, and customer service skills. Many students in the school were able to learn functional skills as a result of the Marion Graham school store.