Kit’s Corner Store is Open for Business at West Patent

West Patent Elementary School has been very busy lately as they set up Kit’s Corner Store, the school’s new shop that sells student-made products. Students have been involved in every step of the process—from graphic design and gathering pinecones to marketing, merchandising and calculating pricing.

The shop, which opened before the break, contains a variety of high-tech and low-tech items. Some of the lower-tech products include simmer pots (made with cinnamon sticks, cranberries, star anise, rosemary and orange slices; tiered support teacher Kathleen Keenan described them to students as “air fresheners for the holidays”), propagated plants and pinecone fire starters. The pinecones were gathered by students, and the wax came from the school’s beehives.

Higher-tech products included hats, ornaments, mugs and bag tags. These items required students to work with a graphic design platform.

“We used an app called Canva,” explained fifth grader Joey Mann. “We found a winter theme and then added things that relate to West Patent.”

Popular images that students chose included bees, chickens, foxes and dogs.

“I was surprised at how many things we could make for the store,” said Calvin Larsen.

But designing and creating projects was just the start! Students also did a series of financial literacy lessons. Fifth graders, for example, learned how to calculate unit price, factor in expenses and mark up items so that they could make a profit. They also learned about loans.

“We got a loan from WPESA,” Elementary Coordinator Denise Connolly reminded students. “We borrowed money and we’re paying it back, but we don’t have to pay interest. With a loan from a real bank, you have to pay interest.”

Once items had their final pricing, students were ready to set up the shop. Students headed to the cafeteria in groups to get started.

“You have to figure out where you want to put your product so that it looks good,” tiered support teacher Alison Muller told them. There were a variety of trays, baskets and stands available for students to use, as they decided on the best ways to display their products. A lot of communication was required as students worked in pairs.

“This tray fits in here better,” one student said to his partner as another group tried to figure out the best way to display hats on a candelabra.

Back in the classroom, the students who weren’t working on displays yet were working on marketing. Some created posters with markers and paper or with Canva. Others wrote scripts to be read during the morning announcements.

“Making scripts is really fun,” one student said to a friend as they worked together.

There were many parts of the experience that students enjoyed.

“I like making simmer pots because they smell really good and they’re cute,” Amiyah Williams said.

“I liked doing the prices. Adding them up was hard,” said Audrianna Lesko.

“Everything we did was fun,” Emerson Cardona Arriola said.

Before the store opened, a catalog of products was sent home with each student so that they could browse before visiting the store. Students were permitted to buy two items each to start so that everyone had an opportunity to get something.

Shopping was another incredibly exciting experience for students.

“I like the color of this hat,” fourth grader Annaleigh Berat said.

One of her classmates gasped on the other side of the store, holding up an ornament to his friend.

“This looks like my dog!” he shouted.

When it came time to make a purchase, most students bought their own design. One student got his friend’s hat because his design was sold out.

Thank you to the entire West Patent community for making this experience possible for students—from Ms. Muller and her love of making things to parents who came in to press designs onto products and greeter Jashon Sample, who figured out the cash register. It was truly a schoolwide effort!