The school store is so much more than a place for students to purchase snacks, drinks, and Bay Port clothes. Affectionately known as Pirate’s Cove, the Bay Port school-based enterprise (SBE), or school store, is the learning lab for the Marketing and Business Department at Bay Port High School. The SBE is open daily for students and staff to purchase products, and is open during select athletic events for community members. Sales have grown steadily since it was established in 2002 — growing from $3,500 in gross sales to over $100,000.
Under the leadership of Lindsay Matuszewski and Stephanie Reinerio, Marketing and Business teachers and DECA advisors, the Bay Port SBE has evolved to become a place of active learning for students. When asked about how the SBE helps students to learn about marketing and grow in professional development, Matuszewski said “Having a school store provides my students with a hands-on, real-world learning experience that applies the concepts we learn in the classroom in a practical setting. They are able to see how their marketing decisions, such as product selection, pricing strategies, and promotional efforts can directly impact the success of the business.”
In 2022, the Retail Merchandising course was designed to allow students to dig deeper into learning. Students have the opportunity to research products, communicate with vendors, design marketing campaigns, and provide customer service to Bay Port customers. This one semester course is open to grades 10-12 and provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate career readiness skills are in high demand in our local community.
The learning activities in the school store align with DECA (marketing association) competitive events. Bay Port DECA has earned the SBE Gold Certification at the DECA International Career Development Conference for the past ten years.
To be eligible to earn this prestigious award, students must showcase knowledge and hands-on application of the following: financial analysis, operations, marketing research, market planning, product management, pricing, distribution, selling, and human resources management.
Funds from the school store are reinvested back into the business to replenish stock, upgrade equipment, and try new products for the customers. In addition, profits are used to offset the student and family costs for DECA events, including leadership conferences, marketing competitions, and advanced learning experiences.
