This is the Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City. COURTESY OF LANE4GROUP.COM VIA CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

Originally published January 23, 2024

   Junior Achievement is a field trip that has been circulating around MBMS for the entire year. Everyone has heard about it, but not many people know what Junior Achievement is actually about.

   Blake Kelley, a seventh-grader, explains his past experiences with Junior Achievement and how much he knows about it.

  “...you go and you have a job,” Kelley said. “And you sell stuff to people for fake dollars or money. And with that money, you can buy stuff like popcorn or other food...” 

   Kelley also shares what he knew about banking and financial business before the Junior Achievement lessons.

   “I knew that there were different types of banks you can go to,” Kelley said. “But I didn’t know that much but this year, it has really taught me a lot.”

   So far, seventh-grader Johny Nguyen believes that the Junior Achievement lessons have prepared him for the trip.

   “Yeah, I think when I go on a trip I’ll definitely be more prepared,” Nguyen said, “because I’ve already gone through the motions.”

   Seventh-grade AVID teacher Mr. Lubash explains how he believes Junior Achievement will benefit the students later on in the future.

   “I think it was a great experience for the students to get a chance to see kind of how a business works,” Lubash said. “...see how they had a little town setup, where they can go do different things. They earn a paycheck. They got to spend some of the money they made, so it's a good learning experience.”

  Mr.  Lubash also shares how some of the stuff taught at Junior Achievement may be difficult for the students to comprehend.

   “Some of the stuff that they have never seen or done anything with finances, it might be kinda tricky at first,” Lubash said. “But, [you know], that’s kind of our job as teachers to show them and explain to it.”

   The Junior Achievement website, jausa.ja.org, also provides information about what Junior Achievement is truly about.

   “...to deliver proven, hands-on programming on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship that inspires students to understand the opportunities provided by education,” the Junior Achievement website says.

   Junior Achievement is a program that allows many young students to learn the ways of financial literacy, but students still have a lot of time left to learn.

   “There’s still plenty of time to learn,” Lubash said.