Barney’s second annual Hawks in Flight program concluded this Thursday, Dec. 7, in what we call “JA in a Day.” Junior Achievement provides activities, guides, thought leadership, and lots of additional resources to support learning. 78 Barney students boarded a bus to Smalley Elementary School in New Britain, where they spent the day teaching students various skills such as money matters and business fundamentals.
Hawks in Flight, a program specifically for our first-year students, has required attendance with links to assignments in the course The World of Business. Students attend workshops on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and then join the sophomores to hear a Barney alum offer career advice and participate in a mix and mentor time with their peers.
Assistant Dean of Career Ready Programs, Celia Lofink, reminded students that here at Barney, we practice what we preach. Social responsibility is a cornerstone of the business skills that our students learn. Through this JA in a Day experience, students demonstrated Barney’s Core Values of Sustainable Impact:
“We work to impact society positively now and into the future. We recognize that our actions today have a long-term impact and take action that makes a difference for our community and our region.”
Students in attendance at JA in a Day were primarily first-year students, as this is a requirement of the Hawks in Flight program, however, they were also joined by students from the Barney Leadership Council. Lisa Cowell, Education Manager at Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, Inc., said the group of students were “organized, engaged and committed from start to finish!”