As September came to an end, the Fair Grove High School Business and Marketing Department held their annual Lemonade Stand Contest.
Students in “Intro to Marketing” and “Sports and Entertainment Marketing” had the opportunity to present their own lemonade stand for students to buy from. Cayse Overstreet, Fair Grove High School Marketing teacher said, “ In the first few weeks of school, students are introduced to the concept of marketing. They learn what is called the Marketing Mix (¨4 P´s¨) which is an introductory concept to business.” She also added, “Businesses need to know their product, price, place and promotion. That is exactly what students are tasked with, coming up with in a saturated market of lemonade.”
The project kicked off on Thursday September 27th, 2024 with students eagerly setting up their stands in front of the student filled cafeteria. They worked within their group to create eye catching signs, develop a creative marketing plan, and perfect their lemonade recipes. Addison Voorhis (10) who worked at one of the nine lemonade stands explained one of her group’s marketing tactics, “Something different we incorporated into our marketing was an announcement across the school intercom and promoting pieing the teachers in the face.”
Voorhis also stated, “This project helped with my understanding of business and marketing by showing me how important it is to market and promote your business efficiently and effectively to earn your customers and make a profit.”
Overstreet has assigned this project for the past seven years and has had amazing outcomes along with challenges. Overstreet sees this assignment not only as a fun project but a learning opportunity, “I want students to fail some, succeed some, but most of all, learn the importance of knowing who your target market is and how to serve them better than anyone else.” Students not only have fun but also gain valuable experience in team work, financial promotions and real-world skills.
Overstreet not only wants her students to learn but have fun while doing this project, She stated, “I am not a textbook and worksheet kind of teacher. I love real-world projects that are educational and fun!” Voorhis added, “I found it was very fun to get to sell our lemonade to the kids, especially the middle schoolers. It was a really fun experience to be a part of.”
