Food trucks, business and burgers: Naismith Memorial Public School Students explore entrepreneurship
April 9, 2021 (Almonte, ON) – When it comes to crafting creative architectural designs, writing business plans, and developing marketing strategies, the Grade 4/5 students at Naismith Memorial Public School in Almonte are now well-versed in all these areas.
Over the past month, the students paired up and drew up their ideal food truck design. They then turned them into real-life 3D models accompanied with a logo and slogan. The project concept came to life by their teacher, Graeme McTavish, who wanted to find a creative way to execute on many curriculum pieces while simultaneously making it a meaningful project and following COVID-19 safety protocols.
“It’s a fun way to get the kids to engage in different ways that will still be impactful for them,” explains McTavish. “They’re working on math, language and media literacy, but it’s even more than that. This is something different from the normal pace of school. It’s been a stressful year for the students. They’ve been able to blow off some steam and marry all the components of what school is all about – bringing real-life experiences to the classroom and developing knowledge and skills along the way.”
And the students are soaking up the experience.
"I love this project because it really makes you think. The most challenging part so far has been building all the 3D shapes because of the nets, but I am most proud about how I finally understand them,” says Grade 4 student Lukas Ibrahim.
To learn about the food truck industry, students had virtual interviews and tours with local food truck owners from Law & Orders and The Greene Mill. Emily Arbour of Cheerfully Made loaned the class a model miniature room kit to help showcase the detail and perspective of a miniature space.
Taking it one step further, the students also put together menu items, pricing them and determining how they’d attract customers by developing marketing ideas and strategies.
“I think it's important to understand how advertising works because it is an important skill to have if you are in a business to let people know about your products,” explains Grade 4 student Mila Straznicky.
The students showcased their designs to their fellow schoolmates by hosting hallway tours. They also submitted burger creation recipes, and Law & Orders will feature the winning selection for a week on their menu.
McTavish says that over the past month, he’s proud to see what the students have brought forward.
“It’s been inspiring to see the kids create something that they’re proud of and showcase it to their school and community as well,” he says. “It’s empowering for them to see projects completed from the beginning to the end and pair it with real-life experiences of the individuals living and running a business in their community. It’s been an incredible way for the students to put it all together.”
As for the student experience, Lukas sums it up in one sentence: “I've never been so proud of something in my life!"
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For more information:
Graeme McTavish
Teacher, Naismith Memorial Public School
[email protected]