Catty Shack adviser Dianna Heffernon-Meyers assists students in running school store

Catty Shack adviser Dianna Heffernon-Meyers has no ordinary classroom. Her whiteboard is filled top to bottom with shifts for the Catty Shack, outlining when each student plans to work for the week. As she gives directions, the school store on wheels rolls into the room, and her Advanced Marketing students verbally fill her in on how much Jamba Juice was sold during seminar.

This is not the only location for students to learn about business, though. The Catty Shack in the main hallway has been teaching students equally important lessons for four years now. The leader of the operation everyday after school is Heffernon-Meyers, who serves as a guiding figure for students to develop their business and marketing skills.

Senior Megan Feuerborn, president of the Catty Shack, believes that Heffernon-Meyers is a vital part of the school store’s success.

“She is really the brains and the brawn of the operation,” Feuerborn said. “We do all the dirty work, but [she] is the one that makes sure everything actually gets done.”

Heffernon-Meyers agrees.

“I am the Big Kahuna,” Heffernon-Meyers said. “They make all the decisions, they have a board of directors, but I guide those decisions and I always have the final say.”

The Catty Shack is open at times convenient for the student body, including before school, during lunch on Silver days and after school. This means Heffernon-Myers and student employees must commit a large chunk of time in order for business to be successful.

“I use my lunch period to go down and help [students] get started to sell during lunch, and every day after school I have to go down and help them close up,” Heffernon-Meyers said. “So, I spend a lot of time ordering, double checking [and] financing.”

This commitment has paid off, since, within four years, the Catty Shack has developed from a small business into a widespread institution.

]“She got us an actual location within the school and everything about it has been growing slowly,” Feuerborn said. “We’re doing fundraisers now for DECA and we’re selling more products. Everything has just grown with her time here.”

While growth may come with difficulty, Heffernon-Meyers believes it is important for businesses to evolve. The Catty Shack had extended its inventory and hours, and is now involved in district-wide philanthropy, where a portion of its profit is now donated at the end of the year.

“Every year we have tried to make it just a little bit bigger and just a little bit better,” Heffernon-Meyers said. “Any successful company needs to continue to grow. We can’t stay stagnant. We’ve got to keep doing new, innovative things, so that’s what we’re trying for.”

Large time commitment comes at a cost, and it can be stressful, but Feuerborn believes her personal experience with Heffernon-Meyers has been worthwhile due to the adviser’s personality and dedication.

“She has such a passion for business and for helping her students,” Feuerborn said. “I think I’ve learned how to be passionate about something and how to work hard [from her].”

Heffernon-Meyers agrees lessons learned through work are beneficial for all students, and that is why she continues to take part in the Catty Shack.

“My kids get to put into action what they’ve learned, so it brings capitalism alive.” [/pullquote]Heffernon-Meyers said. “You can’t get that from a textbook, you can’t get that from a worksheet, you can’t get that from a guest speaker, you can’t get that from a field trip. They experience capitalism every single day, and that gives them a drive and an enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, marketing and business that they wouldn’t have otherwise.”