Edgewater Elementary Students Start Pentastic Pen Company

If you're considering opening a business, you may want to consult with fourth-graders at Edgewater Elementary who created and ran their own business. It started last year when third-grade teachers and students formed a profitable business while studying economics as part of their social studies unit.

The work began with a field trip in April to the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The students received an introduction to the study of industry and economics.  The teachers—Theresa Kohler, Jennifer Hirschbock and Ashley Lacey—used their creativity to design a hands-on unit to learn the basics of economics.

While studying resources, production and consumption, the third-graders produced and sold pens. The pens were so popular among students and staff, they decided to specialize in this one area and start a business. 

First, they created a mission statement and decided to donate the profits to the "Soar for a Cure" Relay for Life team. The mission statement says, "We will consistently provide the highest quality, unique pens using color that grabs our consumers' attention and provide service with a respectful attitude to raise money for Relay for Life." 

Their goal was to raise $1,000 by June. Soar for a Cure captain, Ms. Jessie, provided the startup money while third-grade parents donated supplies. The students charged $2 for each pen.

Their company, Pentastic, doubled their goal by earning $2,000 for Soar for a Cure.

The business was divided into three departments: Sales and finance, production, and advertising. 

The advertising department created the logo and slogan: "Pentastic: Think it, Ink it."  The production department created the vision and mission statement, while the sales and finance department created the business plan. The classes rotated through each department, giving students experience in each field. The students also made commercials and jingles to advertise the pens on the morning announcements.

The culminating activity was opening the business to the public, including to parents and guests, who were eager to see the business in action.

Their Pentastic pen company was such a huge hit, teachers had a visit from Mary Davis from the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Social Studies Department at the Board of Education. Not only did Davis buy a lot of pens, but she asked the third-grade team to present their unit in a social studies workshop for county teachers.

The teachers would like to do something similar this year and the students would love it. However, Lacey is on maternity leave now and and both Kohler and Hirschbock are expecting.