Thurston High School Students Explore Entrepreneurship with ‘SpiritBox’
Student leaders and staff from Thurston High School rolled out the red carpet Wednesday for the DECA SpiritBox grand opening at Thurston High School in Springfield. More than 60 distinguished guests that included community leaders, staff, and student leaders, were present for a ribbon-cutting ceremony facilitated by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
The SpiritBox itself is a state-of-the-art vending machine on the high school campus, obtained through multiple grants secured by students, and offering not only tasty snacks but strategic items for high-schoolers, like portable phone chargers and pocket hand warmers. The student teams were thoughtful about what the SpiritBox would provide – DECA student Ja’Voni Dixon summed up the business model: “What would make teens go crazy?”
Deborah Baker, Business Education (CTE) Teacher at Thurston High School, said the SpiritBox was an inspired, collaborative feat, ideated and accomplished by students in a multi-faceted, two-year effort to bring the entrepreneurial endeavor to the Thurston campus.
Baker also noted the power of a student-designed press release in getting so many attendees to the grand opening. “It really hit home when KEZI 9 News arrived at the celebration. In addition, we were impressed with a strong turnout from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, local business owners, Springfield Public Schools Board members and district leadership, and the Springfield Education Foundation.”
“This event brought real-life business experience up close and personal to Thurston students in our marketing and business education classes, both of which had a role to play in this.”
– Deborah O. Baker, Business Education (CTE) Teacher, Thurston High School
Speakers at the festivities included Vonnie Mikkelsen, President and CEO of the Springfield Chamber, Springfield City Councilor Joe Pishioneri, and THS student Jacob Eden, as well as Ms. Baker, who teaches both CTE classes at Thurston High. Baker looks forward to empowering even more students through real-life, relevant business opportunities.
The Springfield Chamber would like to join Baker in thanking the Thurston High School administration team, staff, and student leaders. Thank you to Crystal Martorano and her culinary students for providing refreshments, Bren Bovee’s REAL News camera crew, Isabel Jolley’s THS Yearbook students, Megan Helwig’s student leaders, Brenda Joseph’s 5 Voices student leaders, Marketing and Business Operations students, and DECA student leaders, for providing an excellent representation of THS students.
CLICK HERE to view KEZI 9 News coverage of this event.
About DECA
DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) is an international career technical student leadership organization (CTSO) that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. The U.S Congress and the U.S. Department of Education – as well as state, district, and international departments of education –endorse DECA’s programs as an integral part of the business pathway.
