Business students holding winter market

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This article was published 19/11/2018 (2684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A group of Windsor Park-based students is taking care of business this holiday season.

Six students from the new applied business management program at the Louis Riel Arts and Technology Centre are spearheading a winter market event, which will held in the gym at the school on Sat., Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The school is located at 5 Debourmont Ave. Admission is free.

The market will include a pancake breakfast from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for $4 a plate, and there will also be around 30 local artisans and vendors from the city and the surrounding areas, who will be selling crafts and homemade goods at the event, which is a fundraiser for Louis Riel School Division’s RIEL-EVATE foundation.

“All proceeds from pancake breakfast, table rental fees from the vendors, and any additional donations” will go to the foundation, said student Rhéanne Morin, one of market’s key organizers. Formed in 2015, the RIEL-EVATE foundation engages individuals in LRSD with community members, and organizes various community events including clothing drives.

Emphasizing that a key part of the event is that it’s student-run, Morin said there will also be activities for children at the market, including crafts and face painting.

“The event is aimed at families, as well the older population, as there are a lot of homes for seniors in the area,” Morin, 17, said, noting her class has learned a lot during the first year of the program that will equip them in the working world.

“We feel like we’ve learned a lot that will help us when we go into the workplace, including skills such as being on time and working with people.”

Madeline Mainz agreed that planning and organizing the winter market has helped the group sharpen their skills.

“The idea is to give us more experience managing something, and this has given us more experience in areas such as advertising and marketing, and putting into practice things we’ve learned in class in a hands-on way,” Mainz, 17, said.

Teacher Jeremie Kuypers said the current group of applied business management program students started in the program in February, and will continue until January 2019. He said the new program has provided the group with invaluable experience, and he is looking forward to seeing how the winter market is received by the community.

“The program is designed to give high school students an idea of what a post-secondary business education looks like,” Kuypers said, adding the program is being held in partnership with the University of Winnipeg, and includes a work placement.

“The class has put a lot of work into this, and we’re excited for people to come out to this. We hope it’s something that captures the imagination of the community.”

As well as his class, Kuypers said students from other programs in the school, such as the early childhood educator program, and the baking and pastry arts program, will also be involved in this year’s winter market, as well as students from Windsor Park Collegiate. He hopes for more such collaborations in the future.

Email jeremie.kuypers@lrsd.net for more information.