Ms. Dobish’s Orange Cluster reading group recently read The Lemonade War, a story about siblings that have rival lemonade stands. Inspired by the book, students asked to run a lemonade stand of their own. But, it wasn’t as easy as just mixing up some lemonade – all aspects of the stand had to be strategically planned.
Students chose a prime location, created signs to advertise, and made shopping lists to ensure they had all the necessary items and ingredients. In order to create a value-added lemonade stand, students diversified their product offerings, selling both pink and yellow lemonade as well as snacks.
Next, they had to decide who would benefit from the proceeds. After researching charities, they picked ASPCA and Alex’s Lemonade Stand, which benefit animals and pediatric cancer, respectively.
Students also handled all transactions at the stand.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how successfully they pulled this project off,” said Jackie Dobish. “Their enthusiasm and planning raised $200 for the ASPCA and Alex’s Lemonade Stand. In addition to being a multi-sensory project, one of the most rewarding things about it was watching them interact with different members of not only Gaynor, but the greater Upper West Side community. Firefighters, delivery people, and others all stopped by for some lemonade, making it a unifying and wonderful experience for the students.”