This post was written by August, currently a 7th Year student and new to East Bay Montessori. As the last leader of Cycle 1 and a student founding a new Middle School Business, Fox News (our mascot is a fox!), she wrote an article explaining why the businesses exist as an integral part of the Middle School curriculum.

Middle School is often seen running things like Pizza Day or Tamale Tuesday, but why do they do it? Middle School currently runs 5 businesses: Pizza, Tamales, Yearbook, Bakesale and Fox News. The businesses are run so that the middle schoolers can make money for their Adventure Trip, an annual trip that switches between camping and city. The trip is fully student-planned and student-funded. Middle School supports their businesses by making them so that every 7th grader helps a business and every 8th grader has to be a CEO. Most businesses have a CEO and assistant CEO, but Bakesale currently has no assistant CEO and Fox News has a CEO, assistant CEO, art director and backup Ben.

As far as I know, the most businesses ever run by middle school at a time was 5, but that record will soon be broken with Obstacle Night starting in the next month or so. Most businesses are just always going if there is always a successor to the business, but it is possible to start a business. To do that, you need to submit a cover letter to Kathleen, the current Middle School teacher, get it approved, send a copy to the head of the school, get that approved, and then you can create your business.

Once you have a business, you have certain responsibilities. These include going to the chamber of commerce, a once-a-week meeting where all businesses discuss the financial state of their business, test forms that are sent out to the school, and ask each other questions. Being a business leader is a fun job but depending on what your business is, it can take up increasing amounts of your time.

We invite you to take a tour of the school to learn more about our Middle School program! Click here to schedule a visit today.