{"id":406910,"date":"2024-03-14T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=406910"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"KHS-seniors-get-to-learn-about-business-in-ELA-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/KHS-seniors-get-to-learn-about-business-in-ELA-class\/","title":{"rendered":"KHS seniors get to learn about business in ELA class"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kagman High School students in an English Language Arts class are not only learning how to improve their communication abilities, but are also learning how to be better business entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

This was the gist of the presentations Meena Benavente, a 12th grade ELA teacher at Kagman High school, and KHS senior James Castro did as guest speakers during the Rotary Club of Saipan\u2019s weekly meeting at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan in Garapan last Tuesday.<\/p>\n

In their presenations, Benavente and Casto not only presented the program to the Rotary but also invites Rotarians to partner with them by sharing with students their own experiences in the field of business.<\/p>\n

Benavente said that, in light of the ongoing economic crisis, and based on what she learned last summer during a training opportunity, she wanted to help students learn these skills while learning to communicate effectively, which she said go hand in hand.<\/p>\n

In a later interview, Benavente said the KHS project was sparked by a training opportunity she had in California over the summer called Project-Based Learning, which is geared toward bringing in real-world scenarios into the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so business is the big idea. Entrepreneurship is the big idea. But it\u2019s also a way to help our students learn, like proper planning, budgeting, understanding credit, things that we might not be able to learn at home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

By exposing the students to business, they get to explore these matters firsthand and gain firsthand experience \u201cso that right after graduation when we\u2019re out there, we\u2019re\u2026aware of what possibilities we have,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Meena Benavente, Kagman High School 12th grade English and Language Arts teacher, and KHS senior James Castro share with Rotarians a new project in KHS\u2019 ELA class during the Rotary Club of Saipan\u2019s weekly meeting last Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan in Garapan.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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She said she helps students learn business aspects in her class by using business reading and study materials as students work materials.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur students have to read a lot, right? There\u2019s a lot of research involved, so there\u2019s reading comprehension. They have to write a lot, so your writing skills are established. You have to research, so your research skills are all there. You\u2019re communicating and networking, so your presentation and speech skills are being implemented. So anything essential to the English language, I believe, is all being properly incorporated within this project,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Benavente said the project started in January, and the culminating project will happen at the beginning of May.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am deeply committed to empowering our students to build ambitious futures,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Benavente said that, by collaborating with the Rotary Club and having some of their members visit the class, Benavente said this would build the confidence of students to succeed in the real world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to get business-related individuals to come in and talk about how they built their business from scratch and the challenges and how they keep it up. And, of course the challenges we foresee, but how we want to overcome them,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

With an estimated 20-some students in each of her three classes, she feels proud of how far they\u2019ve come. \u201cMy students have created and justified their business names, their business logo, and their business slogans. Right now, they are finishing up their business application, and they\u2019ve identified the type of business they\u2019re going to work on. \u2026And now we have Bank of Hawaii coming in to simulate a loan so that our students can take out a loan to buy the equipment they need for their business,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

‘Business is the big idea. Entrepreneurship is the big idea. But it\u2019s also a way to help our students learn, like proper planning, budgeting, understanding credit, things that we might not be able to learn at home.’<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several Rotarians have agreed to lend their time and share their experiences with Benavente\u2019s classes, while others directed them to resources such as the Small Business Development Center.<\/p>\n

Castro, who is also a student in Benavente\u2019s class and is an aspiring entrepreneur, said he\u2019s grateful for the learning experience he\u2019s gained since the beginning of the class in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Mrs. Benavente introduced the program, it was new. I\u2019ve never experienced this from my other schools. \u2026This is the first time, during my senior year that I\u2019ve experienced this.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has loved the experience so far. \u201cI like learning new things, like what a corporation is, what an LLC is, and the different liabilities that we have. I like learning new things about entrepreneurship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Castro is now a student intern at the Saipan Chamber of Commerce and he looks forward to having his own business someday, with something that\u2019s focused on promoting the CNMI\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to create a business that will help our heritage and tradition\u2026because I feel like it\u2019s getting lost. I want to cultivate our culture, traditions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He hopes other schools will also give this sort of opportunities to their students. \u201cI do hope for it to branch out to the other schools because I feel like entrepreneurship is something that isn\u2019t really talked about, especially in an English class, which was something that was astonishing. So I feel like a lot of schools should get into this program.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kagman High School teacher Meena Benavente and KHS senior James Castro, third and second from left, pose for a photo with Rotarians of the Rotary Club of Saipan, including president Irene Holl, after Benavente\u2019s presentation at the club\u2019s weekly meeting last Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan in Garapan.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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