LAVERGNE— A local school is focusing on arming its students with the basic tools and skills they need to succeed. Roy Waldron School has partnered with Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee (JA) to offer a unique learning opportunity called JA in a Day to provide hands-on learning on different aspects of the global economy to its students. Monday, employees from Caterpillar Financial Services (CAT) will spend the morning teaching JA’s “Our Nation” program to Roy Waldron fifth grade students. While JA programs typically occur over the course of several weeks, CAT employees will teach all five lessons of Junior Achievement’s age-appropriate 5th-grade program in a matter of hours through this unique arrangement.

            The foundation for this learning opportunity was set in February, when employees from Ford Motor Credit taught JA in a Day to Roy Waldron’s 2^nd-grade students. The faculty was so pleased with the results they wanted to offer the same opportunities for students in 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade, and JA has been working hard to provide this program at Roy Waldron, according to JA’s Director of Programs Andy Schenck. In April, employees from Publix Super Markets and Vanderbilt Medical Group took time away from the office to lead the JA curriculum to Roy Waldron’s 3^rd and 4^th graders through JA in a Day.

“I am always inspired by the local businesspeople willing to take time out of their increasingly busy schedules to educate our kids. The education JA provides in financial literacy, workforce readiness and basic business principles is so important right now,” said JA President Trent Klingensmith. “It is because of these dedicated individuals that our students are receiving this education.” 

Dr. Margaret Guitard, a teacher at Roy Waldron, thinks the concept of JA in a Day is a good one. “[Roy Waldron has] a large minority population, including ESL and high numbers of free and reduced lunch students. Because of this, our school is not on target for reading [in terms of state standards], so our principal is not allowing field trips or anything extra.”

JA in a Day will be able to provide similar benefits of field trips and guest speakers without the students having to leave their classroom. The CAT employees will spend most of the morning teaching students about entrepreneurship, natural and capital resources and the flow of goods in the global economy.

               Financial support for JA programs in Roy Waldron School is provided by a grant from the Christy-Houston Foundation, a Murfreesboro-based organization devoted to improving the lives of Rutherford County residents.

About JA:

Locally, Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee, a franchise of JA Worldwide, aims to enhance the education of K-12 students by placing a trained volunteer directly in classrooms to present programming focused on the free enterprise system, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship. Founded in Middle Tennessee in 1957, JA now operates in 18 counties in the region, reaching over 42,000 students annually in over 200 classrooms. For more information, visit www.janash.com.

About JA Worldwide:

Junior Achievement is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to educating students about business, economics and personal finance. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA Worldwide offers educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Classroom volunteers teach JA's programs in both the United States and in nearly 100 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.