NASHVILLE— A local school is focusing on arming its students with the basic tools and skills they need to succeed. Paragon Mills Elementary 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. Wednesday, employees from Ford Motor Credit and Pepsi Bottling Group will join together to spend the morning teaching JA’s valuable economic education programming to Paragon Mills’ 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th-grade students. While JA programs typically occur over the course of several weeks, these employees will teach all five lessons of Junior Achievement’s age-appropriate curriculum in a matter of hours through this unique arrangement.

JA has seen success with this program throughout town all year and has been working hard to provide this program to elementary schools before the school year ends, according to JA’s Director of Programs Andy Schenck.

The nonprofit is hosting five other JA in a Day opportunities during the month of May.

JA President Trent Klingensmith said, “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. It is because of these dedicated individuals that our students are receiving this education.” 

“Volunteering is part of our Ford culture and the JA in a Day program provides our employees the chance to make a big impact in a small amount of time,” said Dave LeBreux of Ford Motor Credit. “We have a great time with the students and we think they not only have fun, but also learn some important life lessons.”

LeBreux also sits on JA’s Board of Directors.

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 Ford and Pepsi employees will spend most of the morning teaching students about their roles in the community, the workings of a city and the importance of local resources.

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 Ford Motor Credit Company:

Ford Motor Credit Company LLC is one of the world’s largest automotive finance companies and has supported the sale of Ford Motor Company products since 1959. Ford Motor Credit is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Ford. It provides automotive financing for Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo dealers and customers. More information can be found at www.fordcredit.com and at Ford Motor Credit’s investor center, www.fordcredit.com/investorcenter/.

About Pepsi Bottling Group:

The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. (www.pbg.com) is the world’s largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages. With approximately 67,000 employees and sales of nearly $14 billion, PBG has operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Turkey and Greece.  They operate 10 locations in the state of Tennessee.