In March of last year, a group of Bellefonte High students and staff opened a school store. They provided food, drinks, and even rented chargers in that store, called the Raider Corner.
This year, the store recently reopened on October 2. With the Business Education teacher Mr. Ryan Myers leaving the district, former yearbook and current Business Education teacher Mr. Andrew Weigold took over the store and handles things with the help of student workers.
“One major difference from last year is that all of our workers are now based off of study halls. Last year, Mr. Myers used some of his class periods to work the store throughout the day. With his absence, the store is more like a club,” junior Breanna Dickey said.
That said, Mr. Weigold ran the store with Mr. Myers last year, and he plans to keep most of the procedures the same.
“The changes we made were to order more inventory up front, we changed our menu and pricing on a few items. We assigned positions for the store. We also are just selling from the window,” Mr. Weigold said.
Last year, students could walk into the store, but this year, they decided to close the doors and just leave the window open. In the future, the store may need to grow along with inventory. Some of the items being sold may change and opportunities may come up.
Working in the store is one of those opportunities. Mr. Weigold hired about 30 employees. They sell popular items like freshly-popped popcorn, Goldfish crackers, Alani Nu, and iced tea.
“I am really excited that the store is opening back up! It not only allows people within the school to get something to drink or snack on throughout the day, but it allows its workers to learn many lessons and basic life skills,” Breanna said.
Opportunities like working in the store help students learn financial skills like counting money. They also learn about stocking inventory, responsibility, and organization. Like any other business, they have struggles.
“Communication with employees on working or procedural items, but that will get better as the year goes on,” Mr. Weigold said.
They will achieve this by working as a team. In that process, they will learn how to use “proper communication,” which Breanna learns from the store. The store also has goals for this school year.
“Our goals are to make a profit, track our inventory, and give back to the students and staff at our school,” Mr. Weigold said.
To achieve those goals, they have been assigned jobs such as scheduler, trainer, and inventory stocker. Working in a store is an experience for students that helps the school earn money.
“My favorite part about working at the store is being able to work with my friends and seeing my friends and peers visit the store,” Breanna said.
Going to the store helps our school grow and allows us to have better things in the future. It also helps the students who are employed learn simple skills.
“Students should go to the store to interact with student workers and get the snacks and items they need to brighten their day and keep them energized in school,” Mr. Weigold said.
Not only does working in the store benefit the school in the long run, but so does going to the store to buy these items. Students should go check out the store and see what they offer.
