"Kid Entrepreneurs adopt Metrozoo's white tiger,"
Community Newspapers.com, by Sherrie Avery, January - February 2002

Fifth grade students from South Miami's Ludlam Elementary School pose in front of the Bengal tiger exhibit at Miami's Metrozoo. The students presented a check for $656.44 to Steve Conners, general curator at the zoo, to adopt Carlita, the white Bengal tiger.

Two fifth grade classes from South Miami's Ludlam Elementary School have not only created their own businesses, they have also learned how to invest their profits.

On Friday, Jan. 18, the 81 young entrepreneurs presented a check for $656.44 to Steve Conners, general curator at Miami Metrozoo, to adopt Carlita, the zoo's 9-year-old white Bengal tiger.

The children were treated to a tram tour of the zoo, including a visit to see the baby warthogs, and a picnic lunch. Each child received a certificate of adoption, and the students had their picture taken with the tigers in the background.

The industrious fifth graders are participating in KidVentures, Inc., an entrepreneurial program for children, now in its fourth year. Alice Horn created KidVentures in order to augment and alternative education class at Ludlam Elementary.

"The students' response was very positive," Horn said. "In addition to learning business and career skills, their attendance improved dramatically, and self-esteem went up."

KidVentures formed a nonprofit organization, and received several grants in order to write a curriculum and expand to additional classes. It is now launching a new enterprise with South Miami High School, and will soon begin a partnership with the City if Miami Police Athletic League, working with an after school class at Citrus Grove Middle School in the City of Miami.

In addition to their basic school curriculum and preparing for statewide testing, the children have been operating their own classroom business. They have designed a logo, conducted market research, developed for their product, set a fair price for their product, and have been maintaining income and expense ledgers.

Community involvement is a big part of the of the KidVentures program. Students conduct business-to-business relationships with other entrepreneurs, in real business settings. As part of the curriculum, they make presentations to professional associations such as the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs. They also hold regularly scheduled sales events at the First Union National Bank of South Miami.

At the end of the program, they decide as a group how they would like to spend their profits. This year, they decided to donate their $656.44 in profits to adopt the white Bengal tiger at Metrozoo.

"This is just one of many ways the Zoological Society of Florida (ZSF) and Miami Metrozoo work with school children," said Anthea Lavallee, director of educational programming for the ZSF. "The ZSF Education Department offers a wide selection of both out-reach and on-site programs varying in length from an hour to an entire school year."

For information on these and other zoo programs, please call the Zoological Society of Florida at 305-255-5551.