School & Family Magazine Newstand Allen ISD Winter 2017 | Page 14

Business Management students run the register, stock merchandise, design the
apparel and more at the Eagle Edge
H
ow do you shift theories of business and marketing
to real-world applications for students? The Business
Management program at Allen High School looks
to the Eagle Edge, a student-run shop located next to the
Performing Arts Center. AHS students handle nearly every
aspect of running the shop, including designing the apparel,
working with vendors, ordering items, and marketing
promotion.
The students are led by Sue Rowley, AHS business teacher
and Eagle Edge supervisor, and store assistant Rhonda Vollmer.
Rowley zips between Eagle Edge and the classroom located
at the back of the store, giving
her opinion on the latest T-shirt
design or advising a student how
to strategically place merchandise
to draw the customer’s attention.
Rowley is teaching and guiding
every step of the way, but she
stresses that the store belongs to
the students.
Business
Students Gain
Real-World
Experience
in Eagle Edge
Store
what makes it to the sales floor.
“We really have to determine our target markets and decide
what is going to sell and what won’t,” AHS senior Amanda
Bergstrom said. “We have to notice what kinds of shirts or colors
actually sell. The polo shirts are popular, and blue-colored shirts
are always popular with Allen fans. Also, people love shirts with
Tuffy on them.”
Rowley provides the students with freedom to find a role that
suits their skills. Some gravitate toward customer service, while
others prefer inventory, marketing, or working with vendors.
Regardless of the role they take, the Eagle Edge provides students
the chance to turn the lessons
they learn in class into hands-on
experience.
“I talk to the students about
business tactics and developing
marketing plans, and I encourage
Many AHS students will stop by the Eagle Edge between classes to
them to consider why a particular
purchase drinks and snacks
plan did or did not work,” Rowley
said. “But ultimately, the students make the determinations on
how we run the shop.”
The Eagle Edge sells Allen Eagles apparel and items like decals,
travel mugs, drinks and snacks. The shop, open Monday-Friday
from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., has a steady stream of traffic from
students and community members, with an uptick in business
on football Fridays. A majority of the apparel sold is designed by
AHS students, with a vote from the business class determining
14
“These students are learning
how to problem solve, how to
evaluate their work, and how to
conduct themselves professionally
with adults,” Rowley said. “These
are the types of skills that can
transfer to any career, not just
business or retail.”