That’s one way to keep up with your Christmas shopping.
Lucy Boyd was cruising for beaded soap and candy.
And Matthew Stellato was happily scooping some hand soap and a cool air freshener for the car.
Both were shopping for their families, and as they were paying for their purchases, the bell rang.
Right on time, the two fifth-graders hustled back to their afternoon classes Tuesday at Trinity Christian School.
Their class this week is running an in-store Christmas store, complete with a stocking stuffer-type inventory of gifts.
Along the soaps, candies and air fresheners, the inventory is stocked with ink pens, ornaments, mini-journals, LED flashlights and more.
The project is a growth of Trinity’s “enrichment” class, which teaches on-point particulars to students in third- through fifth-grades.
Amanda Darby, a fifth-grade teacher who came up with the store idea, said young students are getting a Business 101 primer that any budding entrepreneur could use.
“We’ve been working on this since October,” she said, as students bustled by in the library-turned-store for the day.
Students applied for a variety of positions for the enterprise — and yes, job applications and job interviews were part of the process, the teacher said.
There were purchase orders for inventory, and merchandising tasks, plus a select handcrafted gift line.
Students worked on in-house print and video advertising to announce the store.
They even had to “apply” for a business loan, which, as is the case with any such loan, was subject to approval.
It wasn’t a stretch for Darby, who co-created the enrichment class and is helping oversee the Christmas store this week.
She literally grew up in business. Her parents owned and operated a campground, and she worked right alongside, taking on new responsibilities every season.
All Christmas store proceeds will be used to pay off the business loan while funding future projects.
That includes a DIY renovation project on the school playground in the spring.
“We’re talking about the big ‘life skills,’ here,” she said.
The skills of Evan Knight, Ryan Tager and Adrian Farley, meanwhile, were in demand Tuesday.
That’s because they were staffing the gift-wrap station.
“Look at this,” Ryan said, wrapping a purchase in one fell swoop. “Got it down.”
“Well, he’s not bad,” Evan countered with a grin, “but I’m better.”
“I’m the best,” Adrian said.
“That’s why I’m supervising.”
