SMS students run Enterprise America city

For the fourth year, Solvay Middle School seventh-graders participated in the Enterprise America program, sponsored by WCNY. SMS was one of the first schools in the area to participate in Enterprise America and has continued the tradition every year since.
 
The Enterprise America program allows middle school students the opportunity for a different kind of hands-on learning experience. The program begins with classroom instruction, during which SMS teachers spent several weeks planning and teaching the curriculum provided by WCNY. The curriculum is aligned with state standards and 21st Century Learning standards and focuses on real-life learning with an emphasis on STEM skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and civic literacy.
 
To prepare them for running a city on their own, students spend weeks learning how businesses operate, how to apply for jobs, write resumes, how to open a bank account, balance a checkbook, apply for health insurance, and much more. With these skills in hand, students are then ready to spend the day enjoying the Enterprise America experience, where they are responsible for operation WCNY’s Enterprise America City. Students are tasked with managing the city’s 14 businesses and City Hall, becoming business entrepreneurs, employees, consumers, and citizens for the day. At the end of the day, the goal is that students will be able to make enough money to pay off their business loan and walk away with a profit.
 
“The students really took charge in this environment,” said Solvay Middle School teacher Collin Thompson. “They showed maturity, responsibility, and respect, which was a rewarding experience for us all to observe.”  
 
For more information on the Enterprise America program, visit the website.