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Elementary students get jump start on entrepreneurship

Elementary students get jump start on entrepreneurship

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NE – Elementary students in one Northeast Nebraska community are getting an early start on what it takes to become business professionals.

Members of the student Enactus Club at Northeast Community College in South Sioux City have been working with fifth graders at the city’s Cardinal Elementary School through its Jump Start Market program.

Jesus Jimenez, of South Sioux City, president of Enactus, said club members have been working on developing business plans with 64 elementary students to create arts and crafts and food products that they can sell.

“The first week, we met to give the students a lesson on entrepreneurship. We came back the following week to help them come up with ideas, create a business plan and then get all the ingredients they needed to develop their products.”

The third week, the students put their products together and then had an opportunity to sell them at a recent South Sioux City Chamber of Commerce Coffee that was held at Northeast’s Extended Campus. All of the items sold out in a matter of minutes.

Jimenez said a portion of the $600 dollars the students earned will literally be eaten up.

“The money that they earned at the Coffee will be used for a pizza party to celebrate.”

The remainder of the funds will be used to award six gift cards from Barnes and Noble to the students who created a winning poster while another six gift cards will be presented to the group of students who had the largest profit.

Jimenez said the elementary students will be asked to write down what they learned and what they took away from this experience.

The students are in the classrooms of Samantha Brown, Andi Gerkin and Brenda Jensen. This the fifth year for the program.

“I am grateful that Enactus members stepped up to assist,” Jimenez said. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do this.”

Dr. Cyndi Hanson, executive director of Northeast Community College in South Sioux City, said the work with the elementary students is an example of Northeast’s involvement in the community.

“We are so excited every time we have an opportunity to partner with the schools or anyone in the community,” she said. “We are so grateful to host the Chamber Coffee because it is an opportunity to highlight our relationship with you and our partnership with you. if there is anything we can do to better serve you, please reach out and let me know. Our job is to help contribute to the success of our students and the region that we serve.”


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PHOTO CUTLINE


Marina Sullivan, of South Sioux City, assists Cardinal Elementary students Alexander Ardley, Ashley Luna and Paige Meyers as they count money from their cupcake mug sales at a recent South Sioux City Chamber of Commerce Coffee at the Northeast Community College Extended Campus in South Sioux City. Sullivan and other members of Northeast’s Enactus Club have been working with 64 Cardinal Elementary fifth grade students as part of a business entrepreneurship project.