JA Insight February 2009 Newswire

We can't mask the problems Americans are facing today, but with JA we can work to change the way students learn, in an effort to prevent these problems in the future.

Thanks for doing your part to educate
Middle Tennessee's young people!

Inside the President's Corner
with
Trent Klingensmith

Courtney Lawrence,
JA volunteer

Dear JA Supporters,

In light of the struggles we all face today, there are positive examples of hope shining all across town. From the 350 teams that have already signed up to participate in this spring's Bowl-a-Thon to the 36 companies hosting students in the Groundhog Job Shadow Day to the thousands of volunteers that have taught a JA this school year, Middle Tennesseans are making a difference in the lives of our students through Junior Achievement.

One dedicated individual working hard to ensure the JA message resonates throughout town is Courtney Lawrence, an employee of ALOC Group in Nashville. Courtney's JA story started when she was received her first JA program in 6th grade at Buena Vista Jones Magnet School. The following year, at Martin Luther King Magnet School, Courtney participated in another JA class.

"I remember looking forward to JA days because it was applicable to the real world and fun," Courtney said. "The volunteers were always so nice and it was just a great way to step out of the everyday school routine."

Courtney was inspired by her Junior Achievement classes. In addition to her job at ALOC Group, a company which thrives on embracing a true entrepreneurial spirit, Courtney is involved in the Nashville YMCA Hispanic Achievers Program and serves on the World Alliance of YMCAs Executive Committee, and has been involved with the Catholic Charities Refugee Youth Program, Hands On Nashville, Nashville Emerging Leaders, Americorps*NCCC, and the National Outdoor Leadership School.

Even with this exhaustive list of community involvement, Courtney finds room in her busy schedule to teach a JA class. She said she is consistently seeking ways to give back to the community and connect with other people; JA seemed to be the perfect opportunity to do so.

These experiences led to her current involvement with this organization. "Without a doubt, my experiencing JA as a kid influenced my decision to volunteer as a teacher; there is tremendous value in what JA offers and I think it's important for kids to be exposed to the business community in an inspiring, unconventional way."

In spite of the challenges we are all experiencing, it is refreshing to know there are people like Courtney all across Middle Tennessee championing the efforts of JA and collaborating with others to bring the mission of JA to life in our area.

Thanks to each of you for all you are doing for JA!

Sincerely,
Trent

Opportunities for Exploration

Buzz of the Biz
A Day in the life of... a Newspaper CFO

An interview by
Rachel Dyer, Director of JA BizTown

MaxInJABT

I took the opportunity to talk with Max, the Newspaper CFO in JA BizTown and a 5th Grade Student at Fairview Elementary School. I caught him just as he was returning from making a business deposit at the bank, and, after he had written a check for a bill, he was able to sit down with me for a couple of minutes.

This was his second day in the job and he spoke about his previous day. "On my break I went around and had a good time at the restaurant...I went to the Pedigree store and I got one of the dogs...I socialized with some people. We met in the middle of BizTown and we talked with each other." It seems that the first day went smoothly - Max even commented that the lines at the bank were short and the tellers were "very quick."

I asked him what he had to do for his job as the CFO. He told me, "I pay the bills, I make the deposits, I write the check for supplies every morning. And I make the paychecks." And the hardest part of his job? "Making the deposits is really busy. Because once we start selling there's going to be lots of people. There's already been two customers wanting a newspaper and we had to tell them they weren't printed yet."

Preparation for this day started almost six weeks ago in the classroom. Did he need all this preparation, I asked? "Yes, otherwise I wouldn't know how to make deposits and write checks." Writing checks, it turns out, was something he really enjoyed doing. He told me, "my teacher would sell us stuff. We would have our own little checkbooks and write checks. And she would give us JA BizTown money and we would buy stuff from her." And he's already used these new skills! "My parents wanted me to write a check because I was telling them 'Hey, I know how to write checks, can I write this check?' So school helped me write checks and I got to write a real check!"

We were then interrupted as a citizen came in asking about when she could buy a newspaper and another citizen brought in a check in payment for their business's ad in the paper. I let him get back to work and he showed me his system for noting who had paid and how he would prepare the bank deposit on the computer, print the deposit report and endorse the checks before going to the bank where they'd accept his deposit.

I left him busy working, glad that we are helping more students learn (in his own words), "how to take care of a business and how to keep it going" while having fun!

Opportunities for Education

High school students
get taste of real-world

On Friday, February 6, over 400 students participated in Junior Achievement's annual Groundhog Job Shadow Program, a unique program providing local high school students the opportunity to spend a day with business professionals in an industry of their choosing. The program allows students to experience a "real" day in the workplace, and learn about potential careers through shadowing professionals within that field.

Participants who applied to the program were recommended by teachers and counselors and then admitted into the program. Prior to the experience, the students prepared resumes, in addition to a series of questions to ask of their host for the day to discover new information about each specific career. While many students already have careers of interest in mind, the Groundhog Job Shadow Program encourages exploration of new jobs and industries.

Over 36 Nashville-area companies hosted students. In hosting a student, the companies demonstrated to students the importance of dedication and workplace ethics required to be successful within the world of business. Each company and host that participated in the program helped inspire, influence, and invest in our future leaders of tomorrow.

Some of those companies participating in 2009 included: Aladdin Temp-Rite, Caterpillar Financial Services, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Gaylord Opryland Hotel, HCA, Holiday Inn, Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, the Nashville Convention Center, Pepsi Bottling Company, and Vanderbilt Medical Group. Whites Creek High School representatives had this to say about their students' experiences, "Students are still talking about these job shadows and as we speak with some of the participants parents they are also thankful for your generosity."

Attention Employers:

It's not too late to sign up to host students for the JA Job Shadow program. Our goal is to match 700 deserving young people all across the region with companies and organizations wishing to make a difference.

Please contact Charlisa Pugh via email or at 615.627.1197 for more information.

JA programs need volunteers to fill orders

The JA Programs Departments is on track to meet its goal of reaching 45,000 students in the 2008-2009 school year. But, we still have 450 classes, equating to 10,000 students, needing a volunteer!

In Davidson County alone, there are currently 240 unfilled classes; Rutherford County needs 69 classes filled, and Williamson and Wilson Counties both have 49 empty slots for volunteers.

Dickson County needs 10 volunteers and Sumner County needs 9; Cheatham County has 8 open classes, Maury County has 6 openings, and DeKalb County has 1 unfilled class. Follow this link for a list of schools currently needing classroom volunteers.

Middle and High School requests are high priority at this time, due to the fact that these programs are 6-7 visits to the classroom. In order to give the volunteer and teacher ample time to coordinate schedules, these requests need to be filled as soon as possible in order to be completed by the end of the year. Elementary requests are typically 5 visits, and usually allow for more flexibility; keep in mind that some teachers request JA specifically in the month of April or May.

So, if you are able to volunteer at this time - please let JA know! Your dedication to JA will insure Middle Tennessee's young people are inspired and prepared to succeed in a global economy! There is not better time than now to education our students on the important topics of financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and workforce readiness.

Bankers wanted to volunteer

If you have a passion for the financial industry, a financial background, or just a strong interest in the banking industry...we have the perfect program for you! JA Banks in Action is a high school program being offered to several local high schools The program consists of eight 45-minute sessions, culminating in an online simulation where banks compete to be declared Bank of Choice.

Click here to watch a short video about the JA Banks in Action program. Find additional information on the program here. We have 13 remaining classrooms needing volunteers for this program. Contact Holly Houston if you are interested in teaching JA Banks in Action.

It is not too late for volunteers or teachers to sign up to teach or host JA programs this spring. Please contact the JA Programs Department if you are interested.

Thanks, as always, for your support of JA in Middle Tennessee.

Opportunities for Appreciation

The Buntin Group earns ADDYs for JA designs

Of the 70 ADDY awards The Buntin Group recently took home, seven recognized pieces designed for Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee. The American Advertising Federation Nashville honored The Buntin Group with its coveted ADDY awards for the group's marketing materials to publicize and promote the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame event.

The U.S. Business Hall of Fame was hosted by JA of Middle Tennessee at Gaylord Opryland Hotel in April 2008.

Jeffrey Buntin, Jr., President and CEO of The Buntin Group, serves as the Vicechairman of Awareness on JA of Middle Tennessee's Board of Directors.

Congratulations to Jeffrey and The Buntin Group for these prestigious awards!

JA Gets Greener

Being prepared for life in the 21st century is not limited to being educated about our global economy. It's also about protecting our global environment. So, Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee staff members are living up to our logo and keeping JA green!

We are committed to reducing the amount of paper consumed in our office by thinking twice before printing a document and continuing our internal paper recycling program. We are also hoping to save nearly $1,800 a year by simply putting our computers to sleep each night.

Students in JA BizTown are learning to be smart energy consumers too. These are excerpts as they appeared in the Fairview Elementary edition of JA BizTown newspaper:

"We have been learning about energy conservation lately and I thought I would share a little bit of what we have learned so far. First of all, when your exiting a room shut the door!! Even if it's for five minutes you need to shut the door. That saves a whole lot of energy. 2nd of all you should turn off the lights whenever you have the chance." --Hope

"Right now many people say we are going to be in a recession. Which means that the school needs to save money. So all us can pitch in by turning off the light when we leave the room, keeping the door closed, and using only the amount of light you need." --Marlayna

These students understand the value of conserving electricity. Will you join JA in our green efforts in your home or office?

Junior Achievement is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to educating students about business, economics and personal finance.