On Thursday, students from Merino
and Peetz high schools were on the campus of Northeastern Junior College
participating in a High School of Business program activity. Specifically, the
students were making presentations before a group of business teachers and
administrators to show off their problem solving skills. They came to campus
with one business situation presentation which they had time to study and
research prior to being on stage. They were also asked to take on an improv
situation which forced them to think on their feet during the session.
Last August, Northeast Colorado
BOCES announced that it had been selected as a school site for the High School
of Business™ program. The program is designed to challenge students through
accelerated, project-based curriculum delivered in the context of business
problems. Students completing the program are positioned to excel in
college-level business administration programs. Through an arrangement with
NJC, students in this program are able to also earn some college credit for
participation.
Students engaged in the High
School of Business take part in project-based learning, which incorporates the
learning of required skills into the process of solving real world business
problems. Students complete a series of at least six rigorous business
administration courses and in the process they must use technology, hear from
subject-matter expert guest speakers, complete an observational internship, and
learn about business and community diversity through a partnership with a sister
school.
A team from Peetz High School
composed of sophomores Jordan Buss, Adam Davis and Jordan Nelson and senior
Josh Fiscus presented their scenario which involved a Super Hero based company
that had experienced a 40 percent drop in sales. The team had to research and
define why the sales were down and then make recommendations for how this could
be corrected. The group talked about changes that needed to be made in
everything from management, finance and accounting to operation and production,
including the dismissal of some non-performing employees to be replaced by new
Super Heros to get the job done right.
The group had named the various
characters in the company, including a Marketing Monster and Mr. Management.
The end result was new products of higher quality and a return of good customer
service and better sales. At the end of the presentation, they entertained
questions from the audience. When asked how they thought this kind of learning
had affected them, Fiscus was quick to say that being able to see the relevance
of what they were working on as it really related to the class made it much
easier to go to class. “Those classes where you just hear a lecture every day
and then take a test on Friday—I hate them,” Fiscus admitted to the group. For
the presentation, one of the Peetz team members even came dressed as a Super
Hero.
High School of Business™ is a
program of MBA Research, a non-profit organization specializing in educational
research and the development of business and marketing curriculum for high
schools and colleges. For more information about the High School of Business™
program at NEBOCES, contact Gary Koch at (970)774-6152, or on the website
www.mbaresearch.org and look under the HS of Business link.
No comments:
Post a Comment