Fifth graders are preparing for TREP$ which stands for enTREPreneur$. Entrepreneurs are people who create their own business and product. That’s exactly what the fifth graders are learning to do: develop ideas, create products, and learn about money management.
“I think TREP$ is an opportunity for young kids to learn about businesses, so they can be successful later, and the money is key,” Owen Grompone said. He’s still working on a product, but Grompone isn’t worries. “I don’t have any ideas, but if you know me you know I’ll come up with something and so will everybody.”
Some students are planning to sell products such as stress balls, slime, bracelets, and hand soaps at the TREP$ marketplace later this month. According to the TREP$ website, “They [students] learn the essential skills in lessons at school and apply them as they build their businesses. The whole school community comes out to enjoy the TREP$ Marketplace, held right at school, where the young entrepreneurs launch their businesses together.”
Fifth grader Riya Shah said the project inspired her to think about future business opportunities.
“When I saw TREP$ for the first time I thought maybe I could do something like that when I get older,” Shah said. She explained that she and her partner are creating stress balls, “…so that way when kids get stressed at a time they can play with stress balls.”
Some students said they were nervous when they first heard about the project.
“When we first heard about TREP$, I was kind of nervous because I didn’t really have anything in mind, and I heard that we did not do a lot of things that we needed to do in a short amount of time,” Vivian Sfarra said. Now, she has a plan. “For the TREP$ marketplace I am going to be making hand soaps.”
As students continue preparing their businesses and products, many fifth graders are looking forward to participating in the TREP$ marketplace and sharing their ideas with others.
