The Mansfield High School entrepreneurship students successfully ran a small business selling various homemade items during the fall semester. Students created their own “hand sauce” (hand lotion), chocolate-mint lip balm, hair scrunchies, and ornaments to learn about the process of starting and maintaining a business. They marketed and sold their items at school events and the Mansfield Christmas Market. After analyzing their finances they donated their proceeds of $650 to the Mansfield Animal Shelter. Students also made $125 in microloans on Kiva.org to aspiring entrepreneurs in India, Kenya, and Mozambique.
Since the inception of this “small business” project, students have donated over $8,275 to local charities and funded microloans to aspiring entrepreneurs in 16 different countries. The project was originally generated from a grant awarded by the Mansfield Education Foundation to increase classroom innovation and authentic learning experiences for students. Students have since received additional funding from the Edcamp Impact Grant and the Horace Mann Educators Corporation to help increase their project reach.
I am so proud of my students! This is the single largest amount that any class has donated at one time. My students are getting more and more ambitious. And for them to accomplish this while making all of the products this semester? Wow!
Products
assorted cinnamon ornaments – $3
chocolate mint lip balm – $2
scrunchies – $3
scrunchies – $3
scrunchies – $3
assorted clay ornaments – $3
scrunchies – $3
lotion bars – $2
“Hand Sauce” lotion – $4