by Adam Levine ’20

Students who wish to complement their lunch from home or who do not want to wait in the long cafeteria line have a new option–Sherwood’s school store, the Warrior Emporium. Open during lunch, the school store in the upstairs A-hall provides an array of snacks and drinks available for purchase by the students, including Cheetos, Cheez-Its, Doritos, Lays, Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gatorade, Powerade, Naked Juice, and water.

Often, behind the counter is entrepreneurship teacher Margaret Lynch, who, under the supervision of Technology Education resource teacher Jason Daigle, runs the store in conjunction with the entrepreneurship class. Lynch also provides opportunities for students in the College/Career Research and Development (CCRD) program to work if needed.

Last school year, Daigle expressed interest in opening a school store, and the idea was approved by former principal Bill Gregory. “We have a business and CCRD program that connect with the real world skills learned in running a store,” explained Daigle. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our students who are interested in business as well as learning how to work in real-world situations.”

This summer, the business office got to work preparing the A-hall and its classrooms and setting up a functioning school store. Then, the store was filled with a cash register, refrigerator, and shelving, the latter two provided by Royal Vending, the company that stocks the vending machine and the store’s supplies.

Although Lynch hopes to expand the variety of products in the future, she foresees success with the current variety. “I went to different school stores in the county and saw what they were doing and took all of that and decided how we would start,” Lynch said. “For example, Blake has a school store, and they’re selling pretty much what we sell: chips and drinks.” In the future, Lynch plans to sell school items and supplies such as gym locks or compasses in order to make sure students have the resources they need available to them.

Entrepreneurship and CCRD students are not the only ones who help keep the school store up and running on a daily basis. During sixth period, students in the Learning for Independence (LFI) program restock the entire school store. “There are usually three to four [students] who come and restock everything,” Lynch explained. “They’re great, and they’re doing an amazing job.”

Although the school store is currently responsible for paying back the costs of the window, cash register, and other supplies, Lynch predicts they will begin making a profit by the end of the calendar year.

Eventually, she wants the store to be completely student-led and the profits to go back to the students, in the form of field trips, and other rewards. The school store may also become a resource for students who need extra SSL hours, and Lynch stresses that the school store should be about the students. Students interested in working in the school store can see Lynch in A298.