Hills-Beaver Creek eighth-graders sell ice cream as part of a mini business experiment during their lunch break. The students raised $75 after expenses.
By Jolene Farley
Twenty-four Hills-Beaver Creek eighth-graders created a mini ice cream business last week, learning entrepreneurial skills during the process.
They participated in the Best in the Midwest Ice Cream Simulation, sponsored by Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), a collegiate free enterprise organization from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion.
Participants were broken up into different divisions, similar to a genuine business. The president’s group supervised the finance group, the sales group, the manufacturing group and the advertising group.
They learned about the production process by actually making ice cream. Since students couldn’t produce all the ice cream needed for resale, Wells Blue Bunny donated ice cream.
They sold their product during lunch hour at the school, raising $75 after expenses.
When the ice cream began to melt, it was marked down, much like it would be in a real business.
The project was fun and educational, according to the students.
One lesson students said they learned was that too much advertising can annoy customers, a point well taken after some of the 50 advertising posters hung around the school were torn down.
