Teens learn, earn with Junior Achievement

JOHN SIMPSON
Herald Staff Writer

Matt Dodson, a student at Lakewood Ranch High School, was one of the speakers at the Junior Achievement Breakfast held Tuesday at Lakewood Ranch Country Club. He spoke about how much the Junior Achievement program has helped him in making a decision on which career to pursue after he graduates.

TED MASE/Special to The Herald

Matt Dodson, a student at Lakewood Ranch High School, was one of the speakers at the Junior Achievement Breakfast held Tuesday at Lakewood Ranch Country Club. He spoke about how much the Junior Achievement program has helped him in making a decision on which career to pursue after he graduates.

LAKEWOOD RANCH - Elizabeth Steele has found stability in Lakewood Ranch. It begins at 8 in the morning in her economics class.

Every Wednesday Steele gets to play with money, and she learns real-life principles in the business world from the Junior Achievement program in Manatee County.

A senior at Lakewood Ranch High School, Steele moved to Florida last July and enrolled in her fourth high school after having lived in Missouri and Colorado since her freshman year.

"I really look forward to Wednesdays," Steele said Tuesday during a fundraising breakfast for Junior Achievement at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.

With help from volunteer John Kriegel, who owns a Sylvan Learning Center in New York, Steele competes against her classmates to maximize profits on a product in a computer simulation game.

Dave Marino, her economics teacher, said the game is designed to teach students more than just buying and selling. They are also in charge of the simulated factory's production levels, capital investment, and research and development.

"Worst-case scenario, they'll be better consumers," Marino said. "If the book can become more relevant to their everyday lives, that's the ultimate goal."

Steele is already familiar with consumerism.

"It's so easy to spend money as a teenager," Steele said.

Now with the Junior Achievement program, she's learning about payback.

"Not only do you make the decisions, but you feel the consequences," Steele said.

Bob Beck, president and owner of Staffing Professionals, said the nature of business is changing with globalization.

"Junior Achievement still allows the future to have a chance for the American Dream," Beck said.

The Junior Achievement program, with 6.6 million students in 252,000 classrooms worldwide, has continued to evolve here in Manatee County. Expanding classes in Freedom, Braden River and McNeal elementary schools have coincided with the area's development.

"There's so much growth in the area," said Laura Haw, executive director of Junior Achievement in Manatee County. "We're trying to expand our program to meet those needs."

John Simpson, Herald reporter, can be reached at 708-7918, or at jsimpson@HeraldToday.com.