Students in the Introduction to Entrepreneurship class at Frenship High School are diving into the world of business by running their very own school store. With a hands-on approach, students are learning how to create, market, and sell products through collaborative efforts with other classes.
“Our Intro to Entrepreneurship class is an introduction to the mindset and skills it takes to create and run a successful venture,” said Lauren Denning, FHS Business Teacher. “We want to give students a better understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur.”
The class operates the school’s store, currently featuring the Spirit Box—a vending machine that allows students control over product selection, pricing, and marketing strategies.
“The students have full control of the Spirit Box,” said Denning. “They’re able to pull reports, adjust based on sales, and really see how business decisions affect the bottom line.”
The Spirit Box is located in the lobby by the cafeteria and has quickly become a popular feature. Their first product line includes Game Day t-shirts, which were designed in collaboration with the Graphic Design II class taught by Marietta Decker.
“The students have been hard at work designing t-shirts that reflect school spirit,” said Denning. “Our entrepreneurship students voted on the winning designs and provided feedback to ensure the products aligned with our store goals.”
To build excitement for the shirts, the students created promotional posts on social media, successfully generating buzz around the store.
“We wanted to use real-world marketing tactics, and social media was the perfect tool for that,” said Denning.
The class also partnered with the Vocational class to sell and distribute t-shirts during lunch. Looking ahead, they plan to collaborate with other departments, including Commercial Photography to showcase their products and Engineering to design items using 3-D printers.
“We’re constantly coming up with new ideas and ways to collaborate,” said Denning. “The possibilities are endless.”
In the future, Denning hopes to expand the store’s operation with an additional retail location staffed by Vocational students, offering them valuable experience in managing inventory, processing payments, and interacting with customers.
“This feels like a huge endeavor, but the collaboration opportunities and real-world experience for our students are going to be wonderful,” Denning said.
Great work, FHS students!