Madera South to host flea market
MSHS Senior Flea Market
When: November 17
Where: Madera South High School campus
What time: 3:45-5:30 p.m.
What will be sold: Recycled goods from members of the Senior Class, in addition to food items from clubs
Madera South High School is trying out something new to help raise funds for the senior class.
The class will be hosting the Senior Flea Market on November 17 on the Madera South Campus. The flea market will begin at 3:45 on the Madera South campus and will include goods that members of the senior class have re-purposed, in addition to clubs selling food items and a band playing.
“This is the first year of taking this on,” said Rodia Montgomery-Gentry, MSHS Social Science chairperson. “Because Madera South and Madera Unified are doing a graduate profile where students have to do community service and make a portfolio to show their understanding of concepts, we decided to put on a flea market. We are showing the terms and principles of economics through the flea market.”
“I would encourage the community to support our students whether that be in purchasing items or just viewing their work,” Madera South principal Jon Steinmetz said. “The kids will be excited to see a large turnout and it would definitely validate their efforts.
The idea came to Montgomery-Gentry while walking through the junkyard and thinking there were items that could be recycled to use.
“The students love this idea,” she said. “They are in groups of four. They have to reuse, repurpose or recycle an old good, a product that is already made. They have to show they are fixing it up. They are getting $20 for their group to fix the item up and can only put $20 of new product into it to re-sell it.”
In addition to being able to make a profit on their items, students also get to learn about recycling and how the economy works.
“There was a law that was introduced in January about reducing recycling, so this ties into civics,” Montgomery-Gentry said. “We chose this to be an economics project. The carrot is raising money for the senior class. The students liked that the profit goes back to them.
“The profit will go to the senior class. We are purchasing prom tickets and grad night tickets, as well as yearbooks. Those are some of the prizes they will be getting.”
“The students are learning challenging concepts in a way that makes more sense to them,” Steinmetz said. “And the chance to earn some money is a great motivational factor.”
Montgomery-Gentry presented the idea to the senior class in August and began to start working on the projects in October.
“They are working on what they are wanting to do and are writing a list of their supplies,” she said “We will be going out to purchase the supplies for the groups.”
In addition to trying to make a profit, students will also be reaching educational standards about economics.
“There are six standards that the economic terms come from,” Montgomery-Gentry said. “It talks about improving scarce resources. That really hits home. It’s hard to teach outside of this. We talked about when an item doesn’t sell. It’s about supply and demand. They understand that and they may have to lower the price.”
Montgomery-Gentry said they will also hold a spring flea market right before spring break.
“It’s going to be adorable,” Montgomery-Gentry said. “The kids are really looking into it. Some are asking to do more than one. If we can pique their interest to do more, that’s a win.”
“It’s exciting to see teachers plan lessons that are outside the box,” Steinmetz said. “Students learning through projects that provide a personal connection and relevance will always deepen their understanding. Students working with their hands is also a great way to get them engaged.”
One of the things that makes the flea market unique is the area it hits for the students — it helps the community, fundraises for the senior class and teaches the students about economics.
“We had the project three or four years ago where the seniors had to collectively do something for the community,” said Chris Christiansen, social science teacher. “It died with COVID. This is a resurgence of that project. This is a great activity that can benefit everybody.”
