Kit Carson School District

The proposed project is to design, create, and implement a community facing, student led CTE Store in Kit Carson. In addition to strengthening partnerships, the Innovative Store will address three of Colorado CTE’s goals: career advising & development, quality CTE programs, and work based learning. This project will erase equity gaps in CTE, for special populations, by offering those students real world opportunities to participate in and promote autonomy. The CTE Store will be stocked with products that KCSD students develop and manufacture to sell to community members and travelers. Kit Carson students will be responsible for managing the entirety of the operation with assistance from Kit Carson school district staff and community partners. Richard Gekeler, AG Instructor and CTE Coordinator will provide oversight along with the collaboration of other instructors, CTE Advisory Board, Kit Carson Chamber of Commerce, Town of Kit Carson and the CRD. In addition, several community members have offered to volunteer their time to mentor students in entrepreneurship principles and skills training. Community partners will offer their expertise to help students learn new trades such as fabrication or design. This will provide an excellent opportunity for the work-based learning needed as part of CTE and graduation requirements, as well as strengthen ties between the school, community, and stakeholders. Students will learn human capital management, supply-chain management, manufacturing, marketing, sales, accounting, and customer service. The opportunity offers work-force readiness skills to students and/or provides the entrepreneurial skills for a student to open their own business. A hope for the program leadership is that students will create new sustainable businesses in Kit Carson, leveraging the CTE store as a business incubator.