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Local Sixth-Graders Tour the
Smith School
Smith Alum Helps Sponsor Their
College Education
 Earlier
this month (July 2003), 30
Washington, D.C., six-graders
who are part of Project 312
visited the Smith School to
learn about business and tour
Van Munching Hall. Smith alum
Bob Pincus ’68, chairman of MMP
Capital Partners and retired
president of BB&T, Washington
Region, and his wife, Roxanne
Little, with two other area
philanthropists (Harry Nick and
Laurence Siegel), formed Project
312, the 176th chapter of the
national "I Have A Dream"®
Foundation, in June 2002 with
the ultimate goal of sending
disadvantaged students in
Washington, D.C., to college.
They were inspired by
challenges that teacher Nicholas
Ehrmann experienced during his
first year teaching at Emery
Elementary School in Washington,
D.C., – as a Teach for America (TFA)
corps member – in fourth-grade
classroom number 312. Ehrmann is
now executive director of
Project 312, which provides a
long-term support network to
combat the negative
socio-economic forces that
result in educational failure.
During their visit to Smith,
the students – mostly
11-year-olds – participated in a
business game and compiled a
stock portfolio in the
Netcentric Financial Markets
Laboratory with the help of
Smith School student mentors.
When asked by Kelly McQueary,
advisor and assistant director
of undergraduate programs at
Smith, "How do you get money?"
Many students responded that
they received an allowance for
doing chores. One student said,
"I beg for money from my mom!"
"This would be called,
‘Bargaining!’" said McQueary.
The business game required
students to observe six
scenarios and decide how they
wanted to use 12 pieces of candy
to spend on the various items.
They could spend one to three
pieces on each item, but if they
weren’t careful they would not
have enough "money" for all
items.
 Afterwards,
the students went to the Finance
Lab. The lab emphasizes hands-on
learning and utilizes the latest
in technology. Real-time data
and analytical tools are
provided by Reuters and
displayed on Daktronics’
electronic display boards and a
20-foot electronic stock ticker.
Students were asked, with the
help of their undergraduate
mentor, to compile a stock
portfolio. The team with the
best portfolio won a prize.
"The Smith School is working
on a number of strategies to
ensure that our student body is
diverse, including mentoring of
students at Woodson High School
in Washington, D.C., by our
undergraduate students, hosting
high school students from New
York and Chicago to campus,"
said Pat Cleveland, assistant
dean of undergraduate programs
at Smith. "This is another part
of our outreach, to encourage
students to pursue their college
education and consider careers
in business."
For more information on
Project 312, please visit
http://www.project312.org |
