The Business Administration program has done quite a few projects this year, and we’ve had several opportunities to further our learning within the business world. We started off learning about business management and had the option to earn college credits. The main concepts of this college course were what managers do to help their employees work more efficiently and effectively, the different forms of business ownership, and how a business can comply with ethical and environmental standards.

Another opportunity we had to earn college credits was through a Personal Finance course. We learned about topics like budgeting, balancing a checking account, and how to get and maintain a good credit score. We also covered the steps to take once we’re out on our own to pay bills and set up online banking. Both of these college courses taught me a lot about businesses and how to take care of my own finances and make wise financial decisions.

In between college courses we researched several careers that were most interesting to us to learn more about them and get a feel for what we wanted to do after high school. We researched businesses in the area that centered around the jobs we were interested in. I went to two different businesses for my job shadows. The first was Tip Top Pottery, a business in White River Junction where people can go in to paint their own pieces of pottery or take art classes. The second business was Chelsea Green Publishing, also located in White River Junction. I enjoyed going to both of these places, and it cemented my want to work in a smaller business environment where everyone knows each other. 

Although these have been the main points of focus so far this year, we’ve done other projects to help us learn about other aspects of business. For example, in order to learn about marketing, we designed our own cereal boxes and storefront window displays to incorporate different marketing strategies. We also planned out the startup of a potential food truck, including the location, menu, logo, and all the appliances that would be needed inside the food truck to prepare all the menu items. My group settled on a sandwich truck in California that sold sandwiches based on Hollywood movies and celebrities. 

All the projects and lessons we’ve done in class this year have felt very beneficial to me and the progression of my learning. I enjoy the more hands-on projects because they allow me to express my own creativity in different ways that I wouldn’t have thought to do otherwise. My second year here has been a lot of fun, and I’m excited to learn more in these next few months.

Caitlyn Ryan
Lebanon High School
Business Administration