Sparta Middle School students become EnTREPreneurs

SPARTA — There was a mixture of original ideas and repurposing of existing products at Sparta Middle School on Feb. 25 and 26 as Sparta Middle School students displayed what they had spent the last six weeks preparing.

Fully funded by the Sparta Middle School PTO, students at SMS participated in a program called TREP$.

This program afforded the students the opportunity, through specific and directed workshops, to see what it would be like to create a business from the ground up.

The workshops taught the students how to take an idea for a product they created and market, manufacture and sell that product to make a profit.

One hundred and twenty students participated in the workshops taught by teachers Robert Gilmartin, Stacey Williams, and Jason Kopp and Assistant Principal Brad Davis.

Victoria Munro, an 8th grader said, “TREP$ was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I learned how to take an idea and turn it into a successful business!”

Kada Cernek, another 8th grader had this to say, “I loved TREP$ because it gave us a little taste of the real world. If I ever want to start a business, I will know the fundamentals thanks to TREP$.”

“The students did an excellent job,” said Davis, “They were motivated, professional and took pride in how they presented themselves at the Market Night , and I couldn’t be more proud of them. The program was an amazing success, and I can’t wait to be part of it again next year.”