Webberville eighth graders get a reality check

Eighth graders from Webberville Middle School recently visited the Capital Area Career Center to participate in a Reality Store® event and tour the Capital Area Career Center.

The Reality Store® was developed to help teens envision their future, what financial resources they’ll need for their desired lifestyle, and the role education plays in enabling them achieve their personal and professional goals. They are given a “checkbook” with a deposit equal to one month’s salary in their chosen field. As they go from booth to booth in the store, they begin to see reality take shape. The students are faced with real life situations in which they have to deal with a variety of issues such as paying for insurance, child care, and unexpected bills.

Kathy Pierman, Webberville Middle School teacher, and Kathleen Kephart, Webberville Guidance Counselor, assisted the Webberville students through their experience with reality. Kephart said, “I had several students comment on how they really enjoyed the activity. One student said they realize now how much their parents spend on a daily basis and are very thankful. Another student said they would start saving more money and would spend their money more wisely. Several students commented that they felt that they needed to re-evaluate their career choice to align with their desired lifestyle.”

In addition to the Reality Store event, students were able to tour the Capital Area Career Center. The center offers 28 career-technical program choices for students. All programs offer paid and/or unpaid work-based learning opportunities and 19 programs offer students the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school.