Watch above: A Saskatoon high school is combining classes and creating a money making venture for young entrepreneurs.
SASKATOON – Business combined with art, a local school is going outside the box putting students interests first in an entrepreneurial program. The first-hand experience is giving students the opportunity to make money while they learn.
“Arts something everyone loves or can love and business can sometimes be a little dry, especially if you’re not a business person,” said Oskayak High School teacher Todd Knihnitski.
It isn’t your typical high school course. In the Entrepreneurship 20 class students combine Visual Arts 20 to create everything from digital music and commercials to social justice paintings and traditional beading.
“They kind of created their own little mini business or project based on what they’re excited or passionate about,” said Knihnitski.
Now the Oskayak High School students are branching out, creating business opportunities.
“We’ve created an online store with the students and they’ve been using a lot of their skills and abilities to both build the store graphically and to create items to sell in the store to help sustain themselves,” said teacher Reg Nakoneshny.
Oskayak partnered with an odd job program to make it possible.
Grade 12 student Aaron Nepoose enrolled in the double credit program to learn more about business. Little did she know she would be one of about 20 students running it and making money in the process.
“It’s very fun, it’s very exciting and there’s a lot to learn, like what I learned in this class I know it’s not the end of it, I know it’s just the beginning,” said Nepoose.
“A lot of the proceeds we get from the store go back into our odd jobs program so we can pay students to work in the store,” said Nakoneshny.
Besides bolstering the school website and highlighting the estore, Nepoose is working on a blog for young leaders in the school.
“When you take a class like this it’s like opening your eyes to what kinds of things you can take in university,” said Nepoose.
“Hopefully that could turn into a career for her or a future education or potentially even a business through a blog, it might turn into something else but we’re giving her the opportunity to create and explore,” said Knihnitski.
Starting a business isn’t easy but the enthusiasm behind this first venture is paving the way for future students with money making ideas of their own.
To check out the art related items for sale in Oskayak store you can go to Estore.oskayakhs.com.
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