New this school year, all 5th and 8th graders in the Queen Creek Unified School District will learn financial and economic principals through Junior Achievement, an Arizona non-profit organization specializing in financial experiences for students. Junior Achievement in Queen Creek is possible thanks to the 2015 voter-approved override. As part of the Junior Achievement program, Queen Creek students in 5th and 8th grade will attend one of two workshops: JA BizTown or JA Finance Park.
JA BizTown teaches elementary students economic concepts, workplace skills and finance skills in a student-sized town built just for them. BizTown combines in-classroom learning with real world application. The goal of the workshop is for each student group to form a company, pay off their business loan and show a profit.
JA Finance Park is geared towards middle school and high school students. During the workshop, students will learn the skills necessary to make personal finance decisions. When students arrive at JA Finance Park, they will be given a job, family scenario and an annual salary. Based on this information, students will put their classroom studies into action and make a series of money management decisions throughout the day.
“We want to give students an experience they’ll remember that will create a pipeline to a more educated society,” said Dr. Tiffanie Sechrist, Director of Career and Technical Education in QCUSD.
Nearly 1,000 QCUSD students will get the chance to attend Junior Achievement. Queen Creek Elementary will be taking the first JA fieldtrip on Thursday, September 15, 2016. Other Queen Creek elementary and middle schools will be attending Junior Achievement in October, November and December.