Date: Fri 07-Feb-1997

By Previous Employees

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: LIBRAR

Quick Words:

schools-junior-achievers

Full Text:

Junior Achievers Learn Business Skills

Vision Quest co-president Matt Seaman, a Newtown Middle School Junior

Achievement student, is shown with gift items the students sold over the

holiday season.

-Photo Courtesy Corrine Cox

BY DOROTHY EVANS

Several Newtown Middle School students who are participating in the school's

Junior Achievement program are learning all about what it takes to run a

successful business - that there is more to it than just making money.

They have discovered there are many steps needed to create a product that

people will want to buy. Issues such as quality control, efficient utilization

of manpower in creating the product, marketing, publicity and keeping track of

costs must all be considered.

Teamwork and listening to other peoples' opinions are important. And when

forming a particular business plan, such as the recent sale by the Junior

Achievement students of gift baskets and other items over the holiday season,

a plan of action must be adopted upon which all parties agree.

"The students hold weekly meetings where they are learning parliamentary

procedure and other aspects of running a business," said special education

teacher Corrine Cox.

Determined to cover all the bases, Mrs Cox's class decided to name their new

company Vision Quest and elected the following officers: co-presidents are

Matt Seaman and Anthony Ferraro; Scott Carnick is vice president of

advertising, along with Amel Samuel; Kirk Andersen is vice president in charge

of quality control; Eric Myrick is vice president for human resources; Crystal

Lucsky is secretary; Jay C. Willie is in charge of sales and production;

Steven Buchholz is treasurer; and Adam Samuels is vice president for public

relations.

Faculty advisers are Mrs Cox, MaryAnne Bisson and Lori Wilson.

Mrs Cox also mentioned she and the Junior Achievement students were very

grateful for the goods donated by local Newtown businesses during their

"start-up" phase, in preparation for the holiday sale.

For Valentine's Day, the Junior Achievement students will be selling a single

carnation, a half-dozen carnations or a dozen carnations. They will also be

selling red dishes filled with candy. Orders will be taken by the students

during their lunch times.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 07-Feb-1997

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