Junior Achievement Wrap-up: A Rewarding Experience for All
A few weeks ago, we told you about the conclusion of another successful year of Hixson associates participating in the Junior Achievement (JA) program. Following JA’s mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed, the six Hixson volunteers led classes at our partner school, St. Francis De Sales. Classes, which were tailored for students in grades three through eight, covered a variety of financial and economic-based topics.
One thing that seemed to stand out for our associate volunteers was the receptiveness of the students. According to Hixson Structural Engineer Seth Reichenbach, who taught fourth-grade students an entrepreneurial-focused course, “the students were receptive and were always excited to see that it was time for JA that week. They enjoyed hearing about the different activities that were planned, and they always wanted to volunteer to help distribute materials. The students also loved to raise their hands and answer the questions related to the activities!”
Kevin Hansman, Hixson Vice President and Department Manager of Plumbing Systems and Fire Protection Engineering agreed about the receptiveness of the students to the JA message. In teaching “Economics for Success,” a course about personal finance and the importance of setting educational and career goals that are aligned with one’s skills, interests, and values, Kevin said that he taught “a great group of kids who were very welcoming, engaged in our discussions and respectful.”
And he should know! Kevin first started teaching JA at St. Francis in 2011 and recommends it to others. “It has been a very rewarding experience. I look forward to meeting new students every year!”
James Fiorini, a Mechanical Engineer with Hixson, agreed that the students were very engaged and the experience was highly rewarding. James, who taught third graders a program about how economics runs cities said that he also felt the students retained a lot of the knowledge being taught. “Their answers to my questions employed the information used from previous weeks.”
Seth concurred that the experience was rewarding. “JA was a great way to contribute to the community and it was very rewarding to see the students understand and apply the concepts we covered during the courses.”
The Hixson Partners in Education program is just one way our associates help the communities in which we live and work. Click here to learn more about Hixson’s community service!
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