Skip to content

Young Langford students learn entrepreneurial skills

Ruth King elementary PAC provides funding for program
web1_170419-GNG-M-RuthKing
Grade 5 students Caelen Williams and Dawn Menchavez display wind chimes and bouquets of Mother’s Day paper roses they sold at the Power Play Young Entrepreneurs Business Fair at Ruth King elementary. Rick Stiebel/News Gazette staff

Rick Stiebel

Special to the Gazette

Students at Ruth King elementary got down to business recently with a hands-on course that provided some skills on how to become an entrepreneur.

Grade 4 and 5 students and their families took part in the Power Play Young Entrepreneurs program, sponsored by Coastal Community Credit Union. The initiative helps transfer what children learn in school to the home, explained Grade 5 teacher Katrin van der Leeden.

“Kids learn about time management, developing prototypes and basic business skills,” she said. “I was blown away by how much effort the kids and their parents put in.”

Julie Pinel, who teaches Grades 4 and 5, said Power Play has been so successful that they would like to incorporate it into regular programming. Students and their parents created a colourful variety of crafts, gifts and gadgets that the kids sold in a craft fair in the school’s gymnasium last week.

“I was really impressed by the enthusiasm of everyone involved,” Pinel added.

Ruth King principal Mark Kaercher said this great learning opportunity for the students was made possible by the school’s parents advisory council, which made funds available to purchase the Power Play Young Entrepreneurs program.

reporter@goldstreamgazette.com