Every year the Fair Grove High School marketing classes put on a Lemonade Stand Competition to test their marketing knowledge and compete for the best lemonade stands. This year the Lemonade Stand Competition was held at lunch on October 2, 2025.
The lemonade stands are a way for students to learn how to market in a hands-on opportunity. Cayse Overstreet, the marketing teacher at Fair Grove High School, said, “The goal of the Lemonade Stand Competition is to help introductory marketing students apply the principles of the Marketing Mix in a practical, hands-on way.”
Many students involved in the class have never held a job before. This project is a way for students to get real world experience in the ways of marketing and running a business.
While learning about how to market, the students were also enjoying the project with their group. Alexis Hoskins (9) enjoyed spending time with her friends on the project and being able to help in the taste testing department.
Students get to use their creativity to come up with designs that they think have the opportunity of winning this competition. Overstreet said, “My favorite part is seeing the creativity, along with the excitement that a real-world project like this brings to my students.”
The students needed to come up with the overall idea for their lemonade stands, including a theme, slogan, and even sponsors. Hoskins stated, “It took a lot of effort for sure and team work. We had a lot of stuff to set up. We set up the table and the add ons and games and stuff.”
Students use lessons taught throughout the first unit of their marketing classes to help them build their lemonade stands. It coaches them through all the steps in the process and acts as a guide through this competition.
Overstreet explained that as they continue exploring more advanced marketing concepts they are able to make stronger real world connections between classroom learning and business application.
Because this is a competition between students, they can sometimes be competitive. Hoskins explained that their main goal was to win the whole competition and be the best lemonade stand.
Overstreet said, “I started this project many years ago, because I wanted something that would get students excited about marketing and business right from the start of the year. Most students learn best by doing, and so any opportunity that I can give my students to get their hands dirty, or in this case ‘Sticky,’ I am all for it!”
