The Ile Camera
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Foundation for education
Grant allows students to participate in simulation
By Sheila Mech, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: February 2, 2007
Island fifth-graders created a whole, new world recently.
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The students took a field trip to an imaginary city. Exchange City that is!
It is a full-day simulation in Taylor, where students operate their own city and work to make it thrive. Democratic, economic and entrepreneurial concepts, which are main focuses in the fifth-grade social studies curriculum, were reinforced.
Students learned about career options, personal finance skills and how their roles as consumers and producers are important to the economy.
The field trip was made possible through a $5,658 grant from the Grosse Ile Educational Foundation.
"The students were very excited to go on the trip," said Andrea Nolan, a fifth- grade teacher at Parke Lane Elementary School.
"They had a real interest in the lessons and the activities that we did in the classroom prior to the trip.
"Some of the children said that they had a hard time sleeping the night before because they were so excited to finally go to EC," she said.
Along with the excitement came a lot of preparation. To get ready for the trip, students completed the lessons provided by the Exchange City program.
Some of the lessons taught basic civic and economic concepts while others focused on actual skills necessary for life in Exchange City, like how to use and balance a checkbook.
The fifth-graders voted on city laws, the city judge and the city mayor.
Before they headed off to the big city, students also created resumes and filled out general job applications. Everyone had a job at Exchange City, and along with that came paychecks and taxes.
Each business created a budget, a slogan, a logo and an advertisement for the city newspaper.
Nolan said the trip was a success.
"The students did a fantastic job," she said. "The goal of each business was to pay off the loan from the credit union, and each business worked hard to do so.
"In the end, not every business made it, but the students were able to see how hard it is to make a business succeed."
To follow up the experience, students discussed their successes and failures. They received a printout of their personal checking accounts and their business checking accounts to review their final balances.
Nolan said she would do the trip again in a heartbeat and is looking forward to taking future fifth-graders.
The Grosse Ile Educational Foundation is a volunteer, nonprofit organization that strives to provide lifelong educational experiences for Grosse Ile students and families.
The foundation funds creative and enriching educational opportunities throughout the Grosse Ile schools and the community.
Individuals who are interested in supporting GIEF in its mission to provide educational events, like Exchange City, can attend the Grosse Ile Educational Foundation's Valentine's Day Gala.
Take your sweetheart out to dinner at the Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club. It's $60 per person and includes live musical entertainment and auctions. For reservations, call Sharon Kelsey at 734-671-7875.
(Sheila Mech is a Grosse Ile native and a student at Michigan State University.)
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