If you’ve bought a key chain or lip balm from several students in recent weeks, you’ve contributed to the marketing classes’ Catty Shack project. The Catty Shack is designed to help students gain knowledge of the business world.

The class on Blue days sold key chains with gum for $2 the week of Monday, April 16 and made a profit of $243.24. The class on Silver days sold lip balm for $1.75 the week of Monday, April 23 and made a profit of $271.70.

“We used a lot of different marketing techniques, like personality,” Silver class president Nicholas Treaster said. “We used people on our team that are well known around the school to channel our product.”

The classes did everything from create a name to sell their product.

“[The students] have to run the product, test the product and sell the product,” marketing teacher Dianna Heffernon said.

Heffernon introduced the idea of starting a company and selling products to students. The class used a program through Junior Achievement, an organization that offers students hands-on curriculum. Heffernon believes the project is more effective than worksheets.

“It teaches students how to start a company, market and increase value of corporate stock,” Heffernon said. “Also, the idea of risk and return.”