KagES awarded nearly $3K business grant

A grant of close to $3,000 from the Ohio-based Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education will help fifth-grade students of Kagman Elementary School on Saipan make an even deeper connection between what they are learning in the classroom and the real world.

Through a competitive selection process, Kagman Elementary School was one of 15 schools from across the United States to be chosen to receive the funding. The money, provided by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Coleman Foundation, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, is meant to assist teachers and organizations working with youth, to conduct, enhance, or expand activities leading to start up of student businesses, school-based businesses, or development of expertise that leads to an entrepreneur’s success.

The grant, received by Yewubmrt Cruz and Christopher Cabrera, both 5th grade teachers at Kagman Elementary School, will go toward supporting a Market Days Program. At present, students in Cruz and Cabrera’s classes participate in weekly Entrepreneurship Workshops, where they use the Making Cents Business Ventures® curriculum to learn about promotions, setting prices, understanding the needs of customers, etc. To make these lessons more practical, students will be given the opportunity to put their newly learned entrepreneurial thinking skills into moneymaking action this coming May. Through this experience, students will be better prepared to become entrepreneurs and will begin to perceive entrepreneurship as a viable career choice, even at a young age.

Cruz and Cabrera, prior to submitting their proposal, discussed their plans and got feedback on how to implement the innovative idea in their classroom from the Northern Marianas College Small Business Development Center’s Youth Entrepreneurship Program. Both teachers were participants in the first ever Entrepreneurship Education Training offered by the SBDC in August 2005, as part of its Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative, and will rely on the expertise and support of the SBDC for the implementation of this project.

Kagman Elementary School principal Ignacia Demapan commended both Cruz and Cabrera for their successful grant proposal. “Mrs. Cruz and Mr. Cabrera’s Market Days program will provide our children with academically rich learning opportunities,” she said. “More so, they are bringing about an entrepreneurial mindset and skill set in our kids. They deserve our support and recognition.”

To see a full listing of the grant recipients, visit the Consortium’s website at www.entre-ed.org. (PR)