Browse archives: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995

Published on 12/14/1998 All articles from this issue

Students get down to business for the holidays

printer friendly version

By Linda Taaffe / Town Crier Staff Writer

Schools roundup

While local residents shopped this holiday season, students from Blach and Egan intermediate schools learned the ropes of doing business.

Students operated annual holiday fairs at each of their schools earlier this month. Those who participated had to hand craft sale items, sign a contract, pay a rental fee for booth space and donate 10 percent of their sales to their school.

Organizers from both schools said the goal was to make the experience as realistic as possible so students could learn what it is like to sell a product in the real world.

A former buyer from Macy's met with Blach students to talk about product selection, pricing, supply and demand and marketing techniques.

"The holiday fair offers our students an experience in running a real business, and gives the community an opportunity to interact with our teens in a positive and enjoyable actitvity," said Arthur Harris, principal of Blach.

About 61 students from Blach sold goods and about 40 from Egan sold goods. They made and sold everything from pillows, sachets, wreaths, jewelry and candles to candy and temporary tatoos.

Steffanie Baruch, a seventh grader from Blach, made pillows.

"I just learned how to sew on a sewing machine and made these types of pillows in my textile class, and I really enjoy making them," she said.

At Egan, Jennifer Strong worked two days with a friend making feather pens, which she was hoping to sell for $1.50 each.

Her classmate Anna Hennings said she looked through magazines to find a product she could make and market. She ended up selling temporary tatoos for about $2-$5 that she drew with liquid make-up.

The students said some sold as much as $100 worth of goods. Anna said she only profited about $30 after expenses at last year's fair.

Ho, Katz, Okamura take seats on FUHSD board

Kathryn Ho, Randy Okamura and Avrum "Avie" Katz were officially seated on the Fremont Union High School District Board of Trustees at the regular meeting Dec. 8.

Of the four candidates who ran for three seats on the five-member board last November, Ho earned the highest support with 29.1 percent of the votes; Okamura earned 23.9 percent of the votes; and Katz earned 23.9 percent of the votes.

Ho, an educator and counselor, has served as PTA president, bilingual committee chair and on the school site council at Lynbrook High. Katz, who has been a teacher for more than 25 years, participated on the district's Measure H bond campaign, the PTA at Monta Vista High and has helped to support the music and art booster group. Okamura is serving his second term on the board. He is a director of external affairs at Pacific Bell.

The board members are scheduled to serve a four-year terms.

In Brief: Seventy students in grades three and four at Benjamin Bubb School in Mountain View sang holiday carols to residents at the Grant Convalescent Home Dec. 18.