As tradition, students that are taking the economics class will participate in the annual Econ Fair, March 26. Students gather into groups of two or more to create an original product to sell during the Econ Fair.

The whole premise of the Econ Fair is to teach young people about the importance of budgeting their money, learning about the effects of marketing, how to create an effective business plan and what entrepreneurship looks like in the eyes of a business person.

Various products such as homemade candles, waffles with ice cream, tie-dye attire and other products are being made for the fair. Students are usually given about 6 weeks to prepare a product and create it by hand.

Economics teacher Robert Foshee, constantly explains to the class what a good business looks like, and how it is to be run.
Foshee prepares the students from the beginning of the semester for this fair. The goal of the fair is not necessarily to make the most profit from your business, but simply to learn how a good business is run, and to learn from the mistakes, if any are made.

“The whole idea of the Econ Fair is to teach the students about the importance of frugality in creating a business model and following through with it,” Foshee said. “I think it’s best to equip the students with this sort of knowledge, as they soon will be stepping out into the world to someday have their own businesses.”

Finding the actual fair as the best part, Elise Winegarden, ’15, is excited to see all the finished products. She looks forward to the event, hoping to see great presentations from all teams.

“The most exciting part of the Econ Fair, I think, is the actual fair itself,” Winegarden said. “It’s exciting to see everyone’s hard work come to life, and see all of the progress that has been made from beginning to end.”

Junior Justin Porter is ready to showcase his project with his partner, Collin Winegarden, ’15, at the fair. He hopes the work put into his product pays off, making it a good quality commodity for all.

“I am very much excited for the Econ Fair,” Porter said. “Collin Winegarden is my partner, and we are working extremely hard on our project to make it the best it can be.”

Seniors Elora Hargis and Annalise Rosik are taking the food approach to the fair. Many have been successful in the past and they hope to be on that list as well. Hargis believes their food item will be delicious and popular among the students.

“Annalise Rosik and I are baking waffle cakes, and they are going to be amazing!” Hargis said. “We are combining various flavors of ice cream, along with various types of waffles made with cake batter.”

Be sure to bring money for the Econ Fair and support the students.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @kathrynnnnnd. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more news, read the March 25 article, Eagle Madness aims to create fellowship, March 25.