A group of Polk County High School students received a rare opportunity to get a firsthand look at the inner workings of a local business – and have some fun while doing it.
Career and Technology Education teachers at PCHS routinely contact business professionals to come speak to their classes to offer information that students would not normally get inside a regular classroom. When Principles of Business and Finance teacher Deanna Durham called Sara Bell at The Gorge in Saluda to see if she would be interested in visiting to talk about starting and maintaining a business venture, Bell instead offered to have students visit The Gorge to learn more about the business and take part in zipline canopy tours.
Durham jumped at the opportunity to visit The Gorge and give her students a rare opportunity for both the tours and business visit.
Bell provided the instruction for the zipline tours as well as sharing how The Gorge began and some of the problems they faced in doing so. The business information was correlated to many startups and allowed students an opportunity to ask questions as well as getting them thinking about entrepreneurship opportunities which may be possible for some of them in the not-too-distant future.
The students were so interested and having fun during the tours, Durham said did not see a cell phone in use the entire time.
It was a fun-filled and highly informative day for all involved. Several students even put in job applications to be able to work there when school is out.
