by Neil Dev Vijayan, Grade 6 Student -

Market Day is an annual event all CIS 6th graders go through to cap off their unit of inquiry (UOI) into supply and demand. Our central idea for this unit was ‘Supply and demand is connected to the relationship between consumers and producers.’ We have more than 200 grade 6 students here at CIS, but every single one of them would tell you a completely different story of their experience. The final product? A grand market full of everything from hair chalk to frozen yoghurt.

Our preparation for Market Day began in early February. Our teachers introduced us to the subject, or concept, of Market Day - something that would become a big part of our school lives for the next few weeks. Although as a returning student from the 5th grade I had a general idea of the market day, I barely knew what needed to be done to get ready for the event.

The process went by quite quickly. Once we had chosen a group, or colleagues, to work with, we were asked to come up with our big idea. I know I don’t stand alone when I say selecting the idea was quite difficult. Many groups wavered on their plan, but we all came to a mutual agreement in the end. Of course, as any decent startup does, every group had to build a business plan. We knew early on that we only had $20 to buy everything we needed to create the final project, including renting machines and pod locations.

Shortly after the Terry Fox Run, all students presented their business plans to their homeroom teacher. At some point, hands were shaken, a contract was signed and the budget was handed over. Now began the final stage: creation.

All classes held a lucky dip as a decider on who would take the glamorous pod spot. Many entered, but one emerged as the owner of that pod space. On the night before market day, if you looked through any classroom window, you would see a mad hustle of budding entrepreneurs designing their stalls and rearranging the surrounding areas.

Finally, the day came. Our teachers informed us that the $10 we had all brought to school, separate from our budget, was to be transferred into fake money and they would take the money they paid us. All the profits we earned would be given to a charity. The tables were our stalls, the classrooms our offices; we dove head-on into the oncoming crowds. We split the morning into two sessions and agreed on shifts for working. Once the dust had settled, money was spent and products were sold.

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I’d like to conclude that, loss or profit, everyone learnt something special about market day. Personally, I enjoyed how the Grade 6 team developed such a complex and fun task that all students could learn from. It gave us a hands-on insight into the connection between supply and demand in a real life situation. This is a skill all students will find useful in the future.