Junior Achievers in La Loche – talk about success!
- EFN Staff | January 27, 2016
This story originally ran May 2015.
It would be hard anywhere in Canada to find better Junior Achievement success stories than those of La Loche, Saskatchewan.
“I’m so proud of these students,” says Theresa Huntley, the JA Company Program instructor and high school career transitions teacher at La Loche Community School. “Many of them went far beyond the Program expectations with the businesses they created, and showed their true talent as entrepreneurs.”
Huntley helped launch the Junior Achievement Company Program last fall. Her class had 15 students who created six companies. Over a four month period, students had to decide who they were going to work with, what product or service they were going to provide, and what to call the company. They then had to go through all the stages of manufacturing, marketing, and managing the company to show a profit. A typical JA student company might generate only a very modest profit of a few hundred dollars. In comparison, even the least successful La Loche JA venture showed a profit of close to $500, with others tallying profits in the thousands.
One of the high flyers was Beadwork by Curbee, started by students Curtis Fontaone and Mytaya Lemaigre. They secured a contract to create and supply 150 pairs of beaded earrings as gifts for all participants in a provincial volleyball tournament in La Loche. “I learned the importance of balancing out payments, and the importance of the economy while in the JA program,” notes Curtis.
Collin Montgrand, a student who created Montgrand’s Photography, says “I learned that you can achieve your goal by believing in yourself and working hard through the business you’re trying to build.” Collin showed what he means by securing a contract to do all the grad photos for the school, and most recently a contract to do the photography for the mayor’s upcoming federal election bid.
The spirit of Junior Achievement was demonstrated in many ways during the past winter. Students in Jacked Up Coffee put in 10 to 12 hours a day selling coffee at a weekend tournament, impressing the provincial organizers to the extent that they donated a commercial coffee-maker to the school. The company now sells coffee and tea at the school during afternoon breaks, bringing in more than $500 a month. Not to be outdone, Taste for Tea was also an “instant hit” at the tournament and also operates during the afternoon breaks. There’s a competitive spirit in these Achievers, to be sure, but also a sense of teamwork and dedication to their community. For the La Loche Santa Clause Parade, all the JA companies joined together to create a float and handed out candy canes.
The community is an important factor in the success of the JA companies in her Program, says Huntley. “Home-based and small businesses can do very well in a place where people have money, but not a lot of places nearby where they can spend it. La Loche supported our JA companies in many ways because they liked not only what the students were doing as young people, but also the goods and services they were offering. Junior Achievement helped to prove that you can start a venture in your northern home community and do well.”
That is why Huntley does not hesitate to recommend JA to other northern teachers. “It’s relatively easy to start a JA Company Program. Junior Achievement gives you lots of support, and everything is clearly laid out. Most importantly to me, though, is they also provide scholarships and other incentives to help our students reach their true potential. It’s a very rewarding experience for everyone involved.”
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