Madison McMann and Lyla Twidwell had their business strategy down to a science Tuesday morning at Charles A. Huston Middle School in Lower Burrell.
Lyla, 10, had a display of earrings she molded and created together with her aunt, Laura Twidwell. Madison, 10, was selling art pieces she had made.
It was all part of the Kids For Kids holiday market, a Burrell tradition previously held at the former Stewart Elementary School for the past five years. The tradition continued at Huston this year.
“It’s nice that the money raised, all proceeds, go to the Children’s Hospital,” said Madison, a fifth grader at Huston. “It brings smiles on children’s faces that are going through a tough time.”
Buying and selling classmates’ crafts and creations, this year’s Kids for Kids market raised $6,492 for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
“Instead of just having a holiday party, the kids are doing something for the greater good,” said April Sites, a teacher at Huston. “The kids are giving, not receiving.”
When Stewart held the event for the past five years, its fourth and fifth graders donated a total of $15,500 to Children’s Hospital.
With Stewart now closed, there were more opportunities for the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students at Huston to make the Kids for Kids event bigger and better.
In an effort to promote career readiness, elective courses at Huston were revamped for seventh and eighth grade students this year to include a Future CEO class taught by Sites and Brandon Daughtry and a Brand Builders class taught by Courtney Barbiaux.
Contrary to a traditional business class, the Brand Builders class aims to give students real-world experience in building a brand. The Future CEO class teaches students the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, developing their own business ideas, designing logos, pivoting from failure and creating a business plan and website, Sites said.
“Kids for Kids was the perfect tie-in — an opportunity to blend entrepreneurial learning with philanthropy and community service,” Sites said. “It’s truly real-world problem solving in action.”
Seventh grade students Tyler Walsh and Jacob Howell, both 13, sold out of 25 3D-printed infinity cube fidget toys they made as students in Sites’ class.
“We wanted to find a way to help people relieve stress,” Tyler said.
Sites also tapped four Burrell graduates with business industry backgrounds to provide feedback for students.
Tyler said he enjoyed the Future CEO class.
“It’s mainly all about what the customers want and need, what’s popular, and what’s on demand,” he said.
Seventh gradeers James McMann and Jaedon Kessler, both 12, also used skills from the class to create a wooden Steelers ornament they laser-engraved, sanded and painted.
“We saw a cheaper kind of product and decided to make it better,” James said.
James liked that he applied what he learned in classes to ultimately benefit children in need.
“We’re doing something that helps the cause,” he said. “It’s for children to get better. No one deserves to be in the hospital for Christmas.”
Despite being in a new building this year, Kids for Kids has grown to the entire school community, Sites said. Students made commercials for it on the WBUC morning news broadcast; parent-teacher groups held fundraisers; and Huston’s Student Council held pay-to-play volleyball games in the gym.
Fifth and sixth grade students coming from Stewart to Huston this year spread the word of how much they enjoyed the event at their old school, Sites said.
“I love it,” Lyla said. “When they announced it, I was so happy. I just got to work when I heard it.”