Archbold Chamber Takes Junior Achievement To Pettisville Schools

The Archbold Area Chamber of Commerce will take the Junior Achievement program to the Pettisville School District.

Mari Yoder, AACC administrator, said several local businesses had made donations to support the junior achievement program, so there is sufficient funding to cover the cost.

But Pettisville will be asked to coordinate local volunteers.

Speaking to members of the chamber at the Monday, Feb. 4 noon luncheon, Yoder said each year, about 34 volunteers teach the Junior Achievement curriculum to 800 Archbold students in kindergarten through sixth grade, and eighth grade.

"We do not teach seventh grade," Yoder said.

"The way the classes are set up, we can't find a place to coordinate the seventh-grade curriculum," she said.

JA

Jeff Bosch, president of Junior Achievement of Northwest Ohio, said the JA program was founded on the East Coast about 100 years ago by a group of business leaders, to teach youth about business.

Today, JA is aimed at youth from kindergarten through high school, promoting the free enterprise system.

"It's what makes America great," Bosch told chamber members.

"Free enterprise. Entrepreneurship. Capitalism. More than 100 nations utilize the capitalism-free enterprise system. There are a few countries that do not look highly on capitalism and free enterprise," but the number is far lower than many believe, Bosch said.

In fact, Bosch said the fastest growing regional of the world for Junior Achievement is the Middle East.

Volunteer Teachers

The Junior Achievement program is only taught by community volunteers. Bosch said regular classroom teachers are prohibited from teaching the JA curriculum.

Volunteers are given a training session, which takes less than an hour. They are given a "kit," which contains all of the information the volunteer will need to teach the class.

The teacher and the volun- teer work out a schedule.

Yoder said some teachers prefer the volunteers work with the students five periods over one or two weeks. At the middle school, volunteers teach once or twice a week. At the eighth grade level, volunteers visit the classrooms four times a year.

She said she has seen some questions on state-mandated tests come straight from the JA curriculum, she said.

"The kids enjoy it," Yoder said.

Scholarships

There is also a Junior Achievement scholarship program. Students are asked to write two different essays; one describing the impact of the JA program on their lives, and one discussing an economic issue.

Students compete for two local JA scholarships; winners then compete for a Northwest Ohio scholarship. Archbold students have won the top scholarship.

Yoder said Archbold schools graduate "quality students, who write nice essays."

She said the JA program, in which community volunteers share their experiences with young people, "is a great opportunity for kids to experience what Archbold is all about."- David Pugh