Vanier Collegiate’s Entrepreneurship 30 class launched 2 new businesses under the Junior Achievement program, last week. 

“Junior Achievement is set up all across the world,” explained the Business Education Teacher and Career Counsellor at Vanier, Christa LaPointe. “It’s a non-profit organization, set up for elementary programming, high school programming, and community... The one we partnered with is the one where students get to run a business themselves, from start to finish.” 

Representatives from Junior Achievement will visit the schools and provide extra resources and information on how to run a business. They also provide the opportunity for students to nominate themselves, or their peers, at the end of the semester, for provincial or national Junior Achievement awards. 

“We’ve been running the Junior Achievement and Entrepreneurship 30 program since 2009, so we’ve had a number of students go through this,” added LaPointe. “It’s great because they get to apply what they’re learning in the classroom into [the real world]. It gets them outside of their comfort zone, it challenges them to meet new people, and really gain an appreciation for the world of business.” 

This year, the Entrepreneurship 30 class had two businesses. 

Prairie Sky Apparel; A clothing company designed to keep you warm and cozy during the cold Canadian winter months. They sold hoodies, crewnecks, t-shirts, sweatpants, and the ‘Prairie Bundle,’ which featured a matching set of hoodie and sweatpants. 

“[We did] a lot of brainstorming and collaboration,” explained Ella Sawicki, the Head of Social Media for Prairie Sky Apparel. “We listened to other people's ideas until we finally settled on an idea we all liked; Clothing apparel.” 

Working together in a large group only had one difficulty, Kate Waldenberger, Co-President of Prairie Sky Apparel explained. 

“The only really difficult challenge was getting everyone a job and keeping them motivated to do it. Since we’re not the ones making [the clothes] and printing the designs, means a lot of down time, which is a challenge to keep [some] students occupied... In the end, it all worked out.” 

The other business was called MixInc.; A soup mix company, that provided 2 different styles of dry mix that’s quick and easy to make, also keeping you warm during the cold winter. 

The two different mixes were called ‘Kick Butt Chicken Soup’ and ‘Vegatable Medley.’ 

MixInc. and Prairie Sky Apparel both donated 20 per cent of their profits to an important local cause, as well. 

“20 per cent of our profits are going to Hunger in Moose Jaw,” explained, Saxton Metz, the Head of Production for MixInc. “We picked Hunger in Moose Jaw because we’re [a food company], and people at our school deal with Hunger in Moose Jaw, so it’s an important cause.” 

Colby Clark, Co-President for Prairie Sky, also explained more on their cause; Supporting suicide awareness and prevention. 

“We ultimately chose [Journey to Hope] because as Vanier, we’ve struggled with mental health, and we want to spread awareness for it, since we’ve lost one of our friends in the past... We really want to spread awareness for something that means a lot to all of us.” 

The students will continue to sell their products up until the Christmas break. 

Order forms for both products can be found at Vanier Collegiate. 

For more on MixInc. and Prairie Sky Apparel, visit their social medias @ja_mixinc and @prairiesky2022.