It is an exciting day for the Manchester Township High School (MTHS) Junior Achievement (JA) Students, especially those who are proud graduates of the Lakehurst Elementary School! Today is the first-ever Junior Achievement Day at Lakehurst Elementary! Known as JA Day, this is the day that the Junior Achievement Student Program, led by MTHS teacher Heather Staples, empowers high school students to make a difference in their communities as leaders while serving as role models to children within their school district.
MTHS students and staff were so excited for today and welcomed with just as much excitement and warm greetings from Lakehurst Elementary School Principal Rucci and the entire Lakehurst staff. Once the MTHS JA Students arrived and were settled, they were disbursed to the classrooms where they spent the morning teaching Lakehurst Elementary School students age-appropriate financial literacy and entrepreneurship lessons to students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
MTHS students began their classroom lessons with icebreaker exercises and fun games that helped students get to know their student-teachers for the day. There were lots of laughs as they learned who likes pizza over ice cream, who likes summer over winter, and who has a cousin or sibling older than their JA Day teachers!
Students shared what they wanted to be when they grew up, asked the JA student teachers all about their goals, and then transitioned into the different lessons in the Junior Achievement curriculum. Lakehurst students learned all about different jobs in a neighborhood, why they may want to save or spend money, and so many interactive activities, games, worksheets, and more.
Celeste Hardrick of Junior Achievement shares that JA High School Heroes helps students build their leadership and career skills and supports New Jersey schools and educators. The JA High School Heroes program opens other opportunities for high school students to be invited to serve as student ambassadors for JA special events, such as the NJ Business Hall of Fame, and are eligible for the annual High School Hero Scholar Award.
Thank you to Lakehurst Elementary School for welcoming the Junior Achievement students from MTHS. The classrooms are buzzing with learning and excitement as the students from both schools benefit from such a wonderful collaboration. We look forward to coming back for another JA Day again, soon!