Building a Better Future: Sinsheimer Elementary Students Learn Business Skills and Plant Trees for the Community

Students from Sinsheimer Elementary School in San Luis Obispo are learning about life skills in business through a partnership with Junk Girls, a local business. As part of the Build-A-Business Club, they worked together to create products to sell and raise money for a community project. Through their hard work and fundraising efforts, they were able to donate $1,500 to ECOSLO, the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo.

On Arbor Day, the students and ECOSLO collaborated on planting three trees at Sinsheimer Park. This experience was meaningful for the students as they saw firsthand the impact of their efforts. Fifth-grader Genevieve Palazzo expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to work with Junk Girls and ECOSLO, saying it was heartwarming to see their dedication to helping the environment and supporting students’ entrepreneurial aspirations.

Fellow fifth-grader Sophia Bastidas echoed Genevieve’s sentiments, highlighting the incredible collaboration between Junk Girls and ECOSLO and the positive impact their tree planting project will have on the community. According to ECOSLO’s program coordinator Grant Helete, partnering with schools and organizations for projects like this is part of their Urban Tree Planning “Keys for Trees” program which aligns with San Luis Obispo’s goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2035. This experience has not only taught the students valuable business skills but also instilled in them a sense of environmental stewardship and community responsibility.