At the heart of Woodgrove High School, the Den is more than just a place to grab a snack or a new hoodie; it’s a place for student innovation, business skills, and school spirit. Managed by both students and teachers, this store is not only about selling products, but also preparing students for real-world business. The Den is run by a staff of many, including Ms. Kristie Keeler and four of her students: Skyla Ferguson, Evelyn Corpuz, Emma Carrier, and Kailey Halvorson. “These students have to be trustworthy, dependable, reliable, and people that I know I can trust to be on their own,” explained Keeler. The store is consistently open, because even though students do not have set hours, they always find the time to pitch in and help.
While some focus on upkeep, DECA’s senior members Abby Hughes and Rebecca Largent are focused on representing the store in competition. They wrote a 25 page paper, and Hughes explained, “We make a business analysis on how the school store sells their goods, how they market the store, and how they turn a profit. After we complete the paper, we have to make a presentation either on a tri-fold or online. After that, we take the presentation to the state competition in Virginia Beach and present it.” After they present, the students will then be informed if they qualified for the national competition.
One of the most important things for the school store is keeping it current. The best method has been restocking with brand-new items every year. Every year, Keeler has a representative come in from MV Sports, and the representative presents her marketing classes with various themes of clothing. Then, after the students have picked the items, Keeler works alongside the MV Sports design team to make the clothing unique to Woodgrove. One of her students, who is also a manager, Carrier, explained, “Each year we get to pick out new inventory for the store, keeping the store up to date with new and trendy pieces that we think teachers, students, and parents will love.” The Den is not just a place for purchases, but an opportunity for students to learn real-world skills in business, marketing, and presentation. If you are interested in learning these skills and would like to do it next year, sign up for Keeler’s Business and Marketing class.