Pro-Start is a nationally recognized class with up to 14 hours college credit being recognized by colleges with Culinary or Hospitality classes. This is available upon the passing of two national exams. This class will also introduce the student to the many employment possibilities with the nation’s largest private sector employer. The student will be shown career opportunities, job requirements and overall benefits. Emphasis will be placed on the skills that are needed to become successful in the hospitality, and many other related fields.
RAWLINS —Six Rawlins High School students have entered the world of entrepreneurship and they will now find out if their hard work will be a success. The students completed everything from the business plan to ordering food to learning accounting and after 4.5 months of preparation, Kickin’ Chicken will open to the public. The public grand opening will be held Thursday, December 17 from 12-1pm at Rawlins High School in Rawlins, Wyoming.
Kickin’ Chicken is a business class with a twist, designed to give high school students a hands-on experience in restaurant entrepreneurship. Students Joe Fins, Letecia Guevara, Michelle Schanck, Brittney McDowel, Meryl Ford and Katrina James completed every aspect of opening a business. They came up with the business name, designed a logo, set the menu, ordered food, determined pricing, analyzed the market, and prepared marketing, among other things. Michelle Schanck, the business manager, is learning QuickBooks and will produce business reports showing earnings, expenditures, profit and loss. The students also prepared a complete business plan and presented it to the BOCHES (Board of Cooperative Higher Education Services) Board and the Carbon County School District #1 Board, responsible for determining if the idea was a go.
Each of the students has also taken the ServSafe food safety certification training.
Kickin’ Chicken has a menu consisting of 15 different gourmet wraps ranging in price from $3.50 to $4.00 per wrap. The students chose the menu, which includes Teriyaki Chicken, BBQ Chicken Salad, Chicken Club Salad, Oriental Chicken, BBQ Beef Brisket and Thai Peanut.
The class is providing high school students with the skills and experience necessary to be successful business owners. Although Carbon County Higher Education Center Vocational Instructor Ed Elswood has guided them, he lets them make mistakes so that the experience is as realistic as possible. They talk out their decisions and on multiple occasions, the students have given Elswood a new perspective.
Kickin’ Chicken will be open Monday thru Friday from 12-1pm, excluding Wednesday. The Rawlins High School Restaurant Group’s goal is to be financially self-sufficient after wages are paid to the RHS student employees.
For more information on Carbon County Higher Education Center’s high school options, visit www.cchec.org or call 307-328-9274.
