WESTFIELD – For 95 years, Junior Achievement has been helping prepare youth for work in western Massachusetts.
Junior Achievement has been promoting business education since 1919, first through an after-school secondary program, and later through in-school partnerships with educators. The impact on students is currently nearly 80 million in the U.S., and it’s growing.
To find out how the organization has changed and how it continues to deliver relevant experiences to youth, the community is invited to third annual Horace A. Moses JA Legacy breakfast set for April 11 at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House in Holyoke.
The breakfast, which starts at 7:30 a.m., is free for anyone interested in learning more about JA. Those moved by what they learn are encouraged to support JA with a contribution.
In Westfield, there were 192 student participants in the JA program during the 2012-2013 school year. There were 44 Westfield High School students in the JA Stock Market Competition and two students from who participated in the Economics for Success program at Franklin Avenue Elementary School. Three students from Highland Elementary and two from Paper ill Elementary participated in the JA Our City Program.
This school year there are over 600 students participating in JA programs, including 45 WHS students in the Stock Market Competition and all third graders – 74 students – at Paper Mill participating in JA Our City.
Also, the entire 432 members of the Southampton Road Elementary School student body will participate April 29 in a new partnership between JA and Westfield State University. WSU students will teach JA students in grades K-4 at the school, while fifth graders will go to WSU for a tour of the campus with JA.
According to JA, local evaluations demonstrate that JA programs are positively impacting students’ lives.
Over 80-percent of teachers surveyed felt that JS positively impacted students’ problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, teamwork skills, language skills, reading skills, and math skills.
For more information on JA and the Horace A. Moses Legacy Breakfast, call 413-747-7670 or email [email protected].
