Sixth-graders secure loan, publish calendars to sell for
fundraiser
Students in Melinda Price’s sixth-grade math class at the
Charter School of Morgan Hill for several weeks have been applying
their computing skills to a practical problem that demands far more
than book learning.
Sixth-graders secure loan, publish calendars to sell for fundraiser
Students in Melinda Price’s sixth-grade math class at the Charter School of Morgan Hill for several weeks have been applying their computing skills to a practical problem that demands far more than book learning.
In an effort to help defray the expense of science camp next spring, Price’s 28 charges this week began the big push to sell 750 2003 calendars that they spent weeks designing and producing and for which they floated an $1,800 loan to pay the cost of printing.
Soft sales to family, friends and neighbors are a thing of the past and the hard sell to the general public has begun. In the coming weeks, the young entrepreneurs will be seen around town hawking their product.
“I’ve learned that it takes a lot of work to create a business,” student Thomas Parker said.
Lacey Kral discovered that even selling to the neighborhood wasn’t that easy. She scored three or four times, but found that not everyone was receptive.
“Some people don’t like solicitors. I’d say ‘I’m selling…’ and they’d close the door in my face,” Lacey said.
Melissa Wilder knows that feeling of rejection. She received the same treatment when she was selling coffee beans to raise money for her swim team.
“It’s better not to go door to door. This time, I stood in front of BookSmart to try to make people feel guilty, to make them feel obligated to buy,” Melissa said.
Whatever their tactics, if the students sell the entire 750-copy printing, they’ll end up with half the $223 each one needs for the five-day science camp in April at Mt. Hermon near Felton.
The calendar theme — favorite places in Morgan Hill – is depicted in photos and drawings, with each student making a contribution.
Early on, Price said, students suggested doing the calendar in color, but found it would be prohibitively expensive. As an alternative, they created line drawings that can be finished to taste with crayons much like a child’s coloring book.
One of the more daunting aspects of the project, Price said, was the pitch a class delegation made to South Valley National Bank officials to obtain a loan.
Each member of the six-student delegation – the chair of such teams as design, production, marketing or finance – presented one aspect of the project.
“They had a business plan with three scenarios – for production of 500, 750 and 1,000 calendars. They made their presentation after vice president Myles Taketa and community business banker Deanna Franklin explained the loan process, credit, the difference between secured and unsecured loans and interest rates,” Price said.
The students presented their case well, Taketa said.
“They knew what they had to do and had their marketing and production plans in place. They left an excellent impression,” Taketa said.
In the end, the bankers helped the youngsters set up a promissory note through which they would repay a school loan of $1,800 at 5 percent interest.
Math figured in every aspect of the calendar project, Price said. Students calculated cost and profit margin, taxes, interest on the loan and how paying over time costs more.
“They want to be smart consumers,” Price said. “They hope to repay their loan by the end of January.”
In order to keep track of how sales are going, a part of a math class each week will be devoted to making a graph to chart progress.
“At one time, they considered printing enough calendars to cover the entire cost of the camp, but decided they might not sell them all,” Price said. “They didn’t want to get stuck with the extras.”
Students will get a chance to learn about leftover merchandise soon after the first of the year when Geoff and Josie Fox, owners of Fox Racing, a manufacturer of BMX and motocross racing clothing, talk to the class about – among other topics — how they handle items that aren’t moving.
All suggestions are sure to be welcome. After all, there are few items that become obsolete as quickly as a calendar.
