For the Fort Frances High School students who run it, Muskie Mart is far more than just a school spirit shop – it represents an opportunity to get real-world experience they can take along with them after graduation.
From pricing items to sorting inventory and providing customer service to marketing, Muskie Mart provides some very practical skillsets for students with exceptionalities, giving them a jumpstart to begin future careers.
While they may not be paid employees, the Muskie Mart team are not short on enthusiasm for the work they do.
“I like selling the Christmas pens,” said Muskie Mart staffer Cayden McCauley. “I love the Christmas socks,” interjected fellow worker Cyril Hawk. Yet another student, Wyley Bragg, gestured that he likes “everything”, inscribing a big circle in the air with his hands.
Vice-principal Tracy Rob describes the Muskie Mart experience as more than making change and manning a till – it’s a full retail, hands-on process that involves the students in all aspects of what is a very real business.
“They market different items to their peers, they go through and present them and make announcements around the school, they price items, sort through inventory, handle the flow of money in and out and handle the financial reports on that end,” Rob said. “They do all this in rotation. Some of it is actually running the storefront, some of it is working on other employment skills around customer service organisation for office settings.”
The students who run Muskie Mart are not all involved in for-credit courses. Some live with autism spectrum disorder or Down syndrome. However, the initiative has been so successful that some students are earning credits for their work. For many it’s an opportunity to turn their experience into a future employment opportunity via a co-op placement.
“They transfer the credits they’re earning, the skills they’re learning right now through the Muskie Mart into actual employment settings,” Rob said.
Many of Muskie Mart’s items are sold at a low cost to reduce financial barriers. For now, most of their retail catalog is comprised of knick-knacks, tchotchkes and the like.
“We sell socks, we sell keychains, we sell bracelets, we sell rings and we sell magnets. We sell all kinds of stuff, and most of the things are pretty popular in the store,” McCauley said. “The most expensive thing is like around $2. We don’t want to make our best work too expensive.”
There’s also been some talk about expanding into food sales.
“For the second semester, we’ve been talking about starting a Muskie Cart,” said teacher Erika Handberg. “Obviously we would be on the move and we’re looking at food items that we could deliver to teachers. We haven’t really worked it out but we’re looking in the future, maybe to get more kitchen skills. We have a very large class, and we need some more jobs. I think they’re ready.”
While the details of a Muskie Cart are being ironed out, Muskie Mart has been busy bolstering school spirit.
“My favourite thing about the Muskie Mart at the school is the school culture it creates,” Rob said. “My favourite thing for our students that run the Muskie Mart is the confidence it builds. Everyone in the room right now and many of the other students have become very, very well known throughout the school.”
“Cayden comes down and does our morning announcements every day. Cyril has now joined us in the office and is doing our morning exercises, introducing Oh Canada and reading our land acknowledgement every day.”
Perhaps the best accomplishment of the Muskie Mart program has been to build an inclusive school culture that demonstrates what everyone can contribute to the school and to the community, Rob said.
“They are invited to be part of our pep rallies throughout the year,” she said. “The student body knows them. The student body wants to interact with everyone, they seek them out at the Muskie Mart, they seek them out in the halls, they seek them out in common spaces around the school.”
While the student body at Fort Frances High has shown its appetite for all things Muskie Mart, the love hasn’t stopped there – Muskie Mart has already begun to expand into academics and beyond.
“This year was an expansion in and of itself. It’s been so popular that this year we’ve actually attached it to their math class as well. We’ve doubled the amount of time that we’re running the space. Now it’s a full year cycle,” Rob said. “It has become part of the school. It’s not something they only want in one semester. It is something they look for all year long and I think the student body has driven that.”
“It’s hands-on, real skills that they’re doing. It is the math they’re working with, but part of that process is the class looking at marketing techniques and what students are seeking and how they go about meeting those needs.”
McCauley explained Muskie Mart’s marketing logic to the Times.
“The only thing that changes in Muskie Mart is when we get new stuff or we get new keychains,” McCauley said. “Let’s say that if we get new pens, or if we get fidgets, then that’s when we get the most popular people to come in here. Because the more the more stuff we get, the more people we’re going to get.”
The bottom line: “You get more stuff, you get more people.”
With that in mind, Muskie Mart has been focusing its sales on particular events or celebrations.
“For Autism Awareness Day, they will promote Blue Muskie Mart,” Rob said. “Everything they sell that day will be blue in support of autism. They will sell socks around World Down Syndrome Day. Pink day will be on the go. Sometimes when we know we have particular court sports or pep rally days, they’ll be in charge of Muskie gear. “
“Those days could be so popular that we would have to open a second kiosk,” Handberg said. “What did we call our second kiosk, Muskie Mart?” she asked the team.
“Two!” McCauley exclaimed.
“It’s a simple concept that has a ripple effect in the whole school culture that is really not measurable,” Rob said. “It has become a heart of the space, and it is very much driven by the demands of the whole student body. It’s been wonderful to see how that shift has happened throughout the whole school.”
