Sunnyside teaches economics and giving back through Trade Fair

Sunnyside Intermediate School’s annual Trade Fair is not just a lesson in economics for the fifth-grade students, but also a way for them to learn to give back to the community.

The Trade Fair is set for tonight from 6 to 7 in the Sunnyside gym. The event is open to the public, and Sunnyside fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Carrie Gillen said the event is very popular.

Gillen said she isn’t sure how the fair got its start, but that it has been around for about 15 years. She added that this was her sixth year coordinating the event at Sunnyside.

The fair is just for the fifth-grade students, Gillen said. The goal of the event is to teach the students about business and economics.

“They take something that they have made themselves,” she added. “A lot of kids will recycle things that they have around their house, be it old license plates or old soup cans, that they paint and create something with.”

About two weeks before Christmas, Gillen said, the fifth-graders come together and sell their items to the public.

The money raised from the fair is then split. Half of the money is donated to a charity of the students’ choice. In the past, the fifth-graders have chosen organizations like Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line or Havre Food Bank, she said.

The other half is divided up between the fifth-grade classes with each class deciding how to use the money, Gillen added. Some items the classes have bought with the money include novels and supplies.

“A lot of the teachers will do fun things for their students at the end of the year like tie-dye T-shirts, and we’ll use our Trade Fair money to provide those supplies to the students so that’s not a financial burden on them and their families,” she said.

“The lessons that are taught with Trade Fair are like economic lessons, you know, just in the spirit of Christmas and giving,” she continued. “We really try to encourage the students to come up with some charities that are literally and figuratively close to home.”

The teachers brainstorm a list of organizations or causes to donate the money toward. Gillen said her class has begun talking about where they want to donate the money but wasn’t sure if other teachers had started that discussion. She added that they typically like to iron out the details by the end of next week.

“It’s always so much fun to see the creativity that comes out of some of these fifth-graders,” Gillen said. “The things that they put together for Trade Fair, it’s just always really amazing to see what they have come up with, generally with just things they have at home, things that they didn’t really have to go out and buy anything. They have some raw materials at home. They make some just really amazing creations.”

She added that she also likes seeing how thoughtful the students get when they decide where to donate the money.

The Trade Fair is open to the public from 6 to 7 p.m. inside the Sunnyside gym. Gillen said purchases are cash only “because the kids are 100 percent in charge of Trade Fair.” She added that the teachers are just there to supervise.

She said it is a good way for the kids to see what it’s like working in retail during the holiday season.

“We just really encourage the community to come and support it and support the kids because they really do work really hard, and they’re very, very excited to show off what they’ve done,” she said.