The Lion's Den Opens With a Roar!

New Berlin – Oct 5, 2011 – New Berlin Eisenhower hosted a ribbon cutting today to celebrate the grand opening of its new school store, The Lions Den. The store is run by the marketing education students who participate in classes such as Principles of Marketing, Marketing Management, Sales and Advertising, and Running your Own Business. Over 120 students combine their talents to run a unique business venture right on their school campus.

Students at Eisenhower High School have one-stop shopping for an afterschool snack, a piece of poster board for class project, and a school sweatshirt to wear at Friday’s football game. While Eisenhower has had a school store in the past, The Lion’s Den offers a considerably larger inventory, selling various items such as snacks, beverages, school supplies, spirit wear, and is even set to start selling a line of gift items and greeting cards.

“The store is a great opportunity for students to gain real retail experience which will come in handy in the future,” notes Eric Deutsch, DECA vice president of finance. Eisenhower’s new head DECA advisor, Christine Richards, is enthused about how well the store is already doing with sales. The Lion’s Den is run by its two student managers, Josh Preiss and Andrew Melian, who are members of the Marketing Management class.

A few students were drafted to work on the store during the summer, helping put up clothing racks and design apparel. The DECA executive board members were instrumental in making sure that the store opened on the first day of school.

The Lion’s Den is open Monday through Friday, before and after school, as well as throughout the day to students, staff, and community members. Community members should stop in the main office for a visitors pass before heading to The Lion’s Den. An e-store is set to be online by the first of November in time for the holiday shopping season.

Profits earned by The Lion’s Den will put in to Eisenhower’s DECA chapter, a career and technical student organization that aims to give students real world experience in marketing and management. The Lion’s Den will also be setting up a profit-sharing grant program that will be distributed to a school group who applys for a little extra funding- therefore, making The Lion’s Den truly a community-store.

Look for The Lion’s Den to have some extended hours in December, allowing parents the opportunity to get a little holiday shopping in.

For more information on The Lion’s Den, please contact advisor Christine Richards at Christine.richards@nbexcellence.org.