For the 15th year in a row the Penn-Trafford business classes are conducting their t-shirt sale project, which gives students the opportunity to give back as they learn how to run a small business.

     Business teacher Kim Stefkovich said the project teaches students many lessons when they go through the step-by-step process, and students even have the ability to have online stores with shipping capabilities.

      ¨It has allowed them to really take the project to the next level,¨ Stefkovich explained. 

      Even though this project has been around for the past 15 years, Covid-19 has posed some obstacles for this year’s class. Stefkovich described how it has been a challenge with having the students work in teams. However, the students were able to adapt and pull it off.

      Junior student Noah Davis said, ¨Selling the shirts this year has been exceptionally difficult due to the significant amount of students not being in school, so we had to rely heavily on our social media marketing strategy.¨ 

      Davis explained he has learned a great deal from the project, including what really goes into making an apparel company. He added there was a lot more behind it than he initially thought. The process includes designing a logo, creating a billboard, designing the shirt, pricing, profit margins, sales statics and even social media strategies.            

      Like Davis, junior student Leah Kaczmarkiewicz said she has obtained a lot of knowledge from the project, especially because it is so meaningingful. 

       Kaczmarkiewicz’s class shirt sales support the Travis Mills Foundation where the founder, Travis Mills, is a quadruple amputee that lost his limbs while in Afghanistan. Kaczmarkiewicz said the real goal has turned into raising as much money as possible for this foundation. 

      ¨We hope to support him as Warriors. Our class mission is to provide quality and comfort for the warrior in all of us,¨ said Kaczmarkiewicz. 

      She added that the thought of her t-shirt design began back in January when she and junior Ella Coy came up with their idea. Their design represents the idea that (P-T) Warriors are supporting warriors. 

       “The camo on our shirt was for the Warrior army and we have spots of purple within it to represent the Purple Heart Travis Mills has earned,¨ Kaczmarkiewicz explained. 

      She said that her class is dedicated to raising as much as they can for this cause, and so far selling has gone very well. 

           Stefokovich added, ¨This year has a great group of kids and they are extremely competitive – which is great.¨ 

      The t-shirt sale project clearly gives students many learning opportunities as well as a great chance to give back to communities. It also opens up the door for students not involved in the class to buy the shirts and contribute to the movement. 

       This project is one of the many great aspects that make the business classes a fun course that teaches students life lessons. Certainly it will be seen more in the future years at PTHS.