Hundreds of fourth graders at Henry Defer Intermediate School (HDI) stepped into the role of young entrepreneurs May 9 as Streetsboro City Schools hosted its annual Lemonade Day, a cross-curricular project that transforms financial literacy lessons into a real-world business experience.
"Each year we're amazed at the community involvement and how many former students come out to support the entrepreneurial spirit of our fourth graders,” said Kathy Betley, a fourth-grade teacher at HDI who has led the program for 13 years.
The journey to Lemonade Day begins in mid-April as students and their families attend “Draft Night” to select their stand times and locations.
Students took their business plans to the Loan Board on April 24, where they pitched their ideas and requested up to $50 in startup funds. Each business plan requires students to set financial goals around three principles: spend some, save some and share some. This year, students voted to donate at least 20 percent of their profits to the Portage County Animal Protective League. Past recipients have included St. Jude, the Wounded Warrior Project and local food banks.
The Loan Board panel included local bankers, Board of Education members, members of the Streetsboro City Schools Operations Team and volunteers from GEIS. After an approved request, students visited the "teller" to receive their loan in an envelope to take home or have picked up by a parent. The Loan Board has never turned a young entrepreneur away, and every group has paid their loan back in full.
Lemonade Day is intentionally cross-curricular, weaving through nearly every subject students encounter. In math, they worked with money and measurement, calculating how much lemonade they anticipate needing based on the number of cups purchased. In language arts, they sharpened speaking and listening skills, practicing eye contact and preparing confident responses ahead of presenting to the Loan Board. In technology, they designed flyers and crafted emails to former teachers to advertise their stands.
Roughly 16 local businesses roll out the welcome mat each year, many of them returning partners who have hosted student stands season after season without hesitation. Beyond providing space, many employees show up as customers and donors, investing in the young entrepreneurs themselves.
On the morning of May 9, folding tables and handmade signs appeared at storefronts across Streetsboro as fourth graders set up shop for the day. Students managed their stands from start to finish, greeting customers, making change and putting weeks of classroom preparation to the test in real time.
“I love project-based learning, and I know my students do too," Betley said. "There is nothing quite like watching it all come together. I'm most proud to see their nerves turn into confidence and pride on a job well done.”
In the days following Lemonade Day, students will continue to reflect on their experience, assess whether they met their goals, identify what they would do differently and write thank-you notes to participating businesses and parent volunteers.
"I love to teach the students that you don't just get things in life, you work for them," Betley said. "I also want them to know that helping others creates a meaningful life and a strong community."
Betley said she first learned about the program 13 years ago after receiving an email about an initiative that originated in Texas and was expanding to Northeast Ohio. She attended training sessions at the University School Young Entrepreneur Institute before bringing the program to her homeroom. What started as one teacher's class project has grown into a community tradition that Streetsboro's youngest entrepreneurs carry with them long after the stands come down.