Valley City (CSi) VCSU will host for their 1st Annual Valley City Marketplace for Kids Education Day, Weds Jan 4, as hundreds of enthusiastic young students and volunteers will be on deck.

Keith Knudson, Instructor for the Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture, said “Marketplace for Kids is a great way for students to be creative and experience business leadership.”

The program targets grades three through eight but is open to all ages. Marketplace for Kids provides a variety of experiential learning classes and activities to help students develop innovation, enhance personal development, and explore career options.

The day will feature a wide array of classes including: “ELECTRICAL MOTORS & ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS” presented by Scott Halle – Training & Compliance Administrator: ND State Electrical Board; “WONDER OF THE HUMAN BRAIN” presented by Dr. Kiersten Baughman, Associate Professor: VCSU; “BASIC OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY” presented by Wes Anderson, Planetarium Director: VCSU; “INTRODUCTION TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP” presented by Cheryl Duvall, Program Manager: NDSU Center for Entrepreneurship; and “CAREERVIEWXR” presented by Matt Chaussee, CEO: Be More Colorful, LLC. The Marketplace Advisory Leadership Team and members of the education community enjoy reviewing the previous year’s class reports from the students and take their advice on the classes they would like presented each year. Classes are a memorable educational experience for area students.

Students will be showcasing their innovative ideas in the Hall of Great Ideas (in the Vangstad Auditorium) from 11:35 AM to 12:25 PM. Everyone is invited to stop by and view the projects, visit with the students and encourage their creativity.

Members from the Business Community and Chamber of Commerce, will be listening to business pitches from the project students and presenting them with medals.

Numerous volunteers; local Valley City groups and businesses will be volunteering to make the Marketplace for Kids Education Day a success. We are still looking for volunteers for the day, you can call 701-242-7744 if you would like to help out being the eyes and ears in the classrooms and provide Presenter support.

Former North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education Director, Wayne Kutzer (past member on the MfK Board of Directors): “The future of North Dakota’s economy – and the future of our nation’s economy lies in the entrepreneurial spirit of our children” said Kutzer. Marketplace for Kids encourages your students or children to develop their own ideas, share their creativity, and present them to an audience of all ages. “Marketplace for Kids is proud of the leadership provided by teachers, administrators, parents and chaperones,” added Kutzer. “Thank you for creating the environment that enables our students to grow.”

For more information on Marketplace for Kids in Valley City, contact Larry Brooks, Valley City State University 701-845-7200 or Robert Heitkamp at 1-855-434-5437, 106 Mathews St. Mantador, ND or rheitkamp@marketplacend.org