Douglas County’s newest retail operation is a store run entirely by students for students. The hands-on learning lab is an entrepreneurial operation preparing College and Career Institute (CCI) students for long-term career success.
The CCI school-based enterprise operates as part of the school’s DECA chapter. DECA Adviser Lenaya Miller says students gain practical business skills by marketing and selling merchandise.
“Student-led enterprises meet the needs of the market. The retail operations are successful, and we also integrate the National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality and management,” she adds.
Miller says CCI DECA officers serve as store managers. They currently sell snacks and CCI branded items such as t-shirts and hoodies to students through an online marketplace. The student-led team hopes to expand its product line soon.
Miller says it is essential to offer real-life learning opportunities like these to give students a competitive edge. “Experience working within a school-based enterprise provides students the opportunity to learn skills not necessarily learned in the classroom,” Miller says.
CCI Principal Geri Armstrong agrees. She says school-based enterprises are vital tools in preparing students for transitioning from school to work or college.
“This school store has been an exciting addition to the CCI that reinforces classroom instruction. For many students, this store offers students their first work experience. For others, it will provide an opportunity to build management, supervision, and leadership skills,” Armstrong says.
The store is open to students in the mornings before classes in the atrium.