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Assemblers construct briefcases in the Young AmeriTowne Container Shop. Briefcases are provided by the Rollie R. Kelley Family Foundation, a Fund of the Denver Foundation.
Complex economic concepts come to life in Young AmeriTowne, and the Containers Shop is no exception. Thanks to support from Colorado Container Corporation, students can experience, not just learn about, supply and demand.
On a recent Wednesday, Container Shop Manager Daniel* had a huge smile on his face. Daniel, age 10, had just increased the prices of his products because the shop had just a handful left to sell. “We’re raising the prices ‘cause our products are selling like crazy!” exclaimed Daniel. “The briefcases are the most popular.”
During his classroom lessons designed to prepare him for Young AmeriTowne, Daniel learned about the concept of supply and demand. In particular, Daniel learned how supply and demand affects prices of goods and services—when more people desire a product, the price increases. By the time they arrive in AmeriTowne, most students can correctly answer this question: “When there are only a few products left in your shop, should you raise or lower the price?”
Young AmeriTowne further reinforces this learning. When Daniel saw that Towne citizens eagerly paid $4.00 for a cardboard briefcase, he raised the price to $5.00 instead. The change slowed the sale so that the Containers Shop would have enough briefcases to last until the end of the day. This change also brought in more revenue for the shop.
Briefcases are generously donated by the The Rollie R. Kelley Family Foundation Fund, The Denver Foundation. The briefcases and sponsoring grant for the AmeriTowe Containers Shops are a tribute to a business originally owned by the family: Colorado Container Corporation. Now under a different name in the real world, this business lives on in Young AmeriTowne.
As Container Shop Assemblers build and sell briefcases to more than 33,000 young people every year, economics becomes more than just a subject learned in school. In the words of Principal Tina Hepp from Cherry Drive Elementary, “Young AmeriTowne brings the standards to life.”
*Name has been changed to protect the identity of a minor student.
