BYRON, Minn — A high school in southeastern Minnesota has received a $45,000 grant to give students the experience of running a food truck business.
The Bush Foundation recently awarded Byron High School with the grant for the hands-on learning project, the Post-Bulletin reported.
Ryan Radke, the school's family and consumer sciences teacher, proposed the idea, but later learned that a food truck would be too expensive to purchase.
"It will probably be more of a food trailer that we take places with a truck, as you get more bang for your buck on those," Radke said.
Students will have control over what food to offer and which area the trailer should serve, according to Radke. But the school wants students to partner with local restaurants and use fresh vegetables and herbs grown in the agricultural department greenhouse, he added.
"Several community members have offered to donate time and money to help with this opportunity," Radke said.
The project is designed to help students learn the intricacies of starting their own business, so they will also be responsible for networking and advertising.
Radke hopes the food trailer will be used in classes by spring 2020.
Byron Public Schools Superintendent Joey Page is supportive of the initiative.
"Creating startup businesses not only provides students with real-world 'resume-ready' learning experience but could, long-term, lead to an increase in growth and economic development in rural communities," Page said. "Students will be equipped with the design thinking methodologies and foundational knowledge of running their own business, and we desire to foster and grow our nation's next generation of entrepreneurs."
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