Fifth grade students from Morgan and Sayen Elementary Schools in Hamilton participated in Junior Achievement’s BizTown.
Morgan Elementary School fifth graders Sofia Santiago, Daniel Smith, Mason Cromwell, Michael Clark, Harrison Johnson, Robert Arnwine, Katie Burger and Maya Chell prepare to work at the New Jersey Credit Union in JA BizTown.
JA BizTown’s Community Assistance Center is run by fifth graders Kailey Conner, Sarah Pierre, Bianca Argueta, Amy Dobondi and Olivia Feijo.
Sayen fifth graders, Emma O’Brien, Kayleigh Powers, Brea Todaro and Nicholas Ricigliano prepare to start their day in the Wellness Center at JA BizTown.
Fifth graders from Hamilton’s Morgan and Sayen Elementary schools participated in Junior Achievement’s BizTown Program, a new, no-cost financial literacy program for fifth and sixth grade students in New Jersey.
The program provides an educational, interactive experience to learn about economics, business, financial literacy and entrepreneurship in alignment with Common Core State Standards in Social Studies, English and Math.
For several weeks throughout the school year, classroom teachers introduced lessons on the community, economy, taxes and financial literacy with students participating in activities such as writing checks, making bank deposits and managing money effectively. Students were provided information about the many job opportunities at JA BizTown and were able to submit job applications based on their interests and qualifications.
The program ended with an all-day field trip to JA BizTown, a simulation held in Bridgewater where students were able to run their own businesses in a town setting and work together in team and leadership roles to make their businesses successful. They were also able to understand their roles as citizens in a community by exercising their right to vote on community issues.
The JA BizTown experience enabled students to better understand economic terms and work environments through a hands-on learning opportunity. In addition to the JA BizTown staff, parent volunteers from both schools assisted to ensure business activities ran smoothly throughout the day.
