JAMESTOWN, Mo. -- A new business has come to the Jamestown area, and it's run by five high school students.
Eagles Inc. is the product of Shyla Fairsax, Cassie Gerlach, Jasmine Vargas, William Vergas and Kylie Wagner.
Teacher Shelley Smith is bringing more to the introduction to business class than usual. The former Jefferson City Public Schools teacher said she was interested in continuing her passion for teaching post retirement.
"Teaching is such an exciting and rewarding career, and teaching at Jamestown has been an incredible experience to get to know students and families and smaller class sizes," Smith said.
She retired from JCPS in July 2018 after 29 years of teaching. She said the state has a statute that says if a school has as critical need for an instructor, they can agree to come out of retirement for two years.
Passionate about her career, Smith agreed and is now leading the Eagles Inc. business owners in their new venture.
After a community survey, they decided to sell apparel. The class is selling quarter-zip sweatshirts, blankets and t-shirts.
"The kids were kind of surprised at some of the results," Smith said. "It's a small-town community that's extremely supportive; it's a great school to teach for."
The products can be purchased from the students themselves or by contacting the school.
At their weekly business meeting, Wagner, who serves as president of the company, said the sales and community sponsorships were going well. A percentage of the sales will go to Central Missouri Honor Flight.
"We were looking for something central and near our community," Wagner said. "Honor Flight is special in our community."
A delightful surprise for Smith has been the passion she gets in return from the students. Each student is in charge of a different department, including marketing, finances, purchasing and more. While working on budgets, learning stocks, leadership styles and taxes, the youth have been excited throughout.
"I believe in hands-on learning and have experienced the incredible learning that takes place when you apply what you have learned to real-life scenarios," Smith said. "It's going to create their interest in moving on to taking an accounting classes (and) so much more. "
Their mission statement is: "To provide the Jamestown community with unique quality products that enhance school spirit while serving as a valuable learning experience for the company employees as well."
Products are on sale now and can be purchased through May 1.