By: Quinn Isenberg 

Students looking for a snack throughout the school day will be excited to hear that The Golden Lion Shoppe has reopened this school year.  

The shoppe is open every Tuesday and Thursday during advisory and is located across from the cafeteria. Students interested in the shoppe can get a pass from their advisory teacher to purchase items.  

“There’s mainly food, drinks and snacks like candy bars and chips,” shoppe supervisor Mrs. Leisa Ecklund said. “We also sell school supplies.”  

Food and school supplies aren’t all the shoppe has to offer. The Golden Lion Shoppe also acts as a way for students to get work experience.  

---

Students running The Lion Shoppe during advisory.

Photo by: Quinn Isenberg

---

“We wanted students to learn,” Mrs. Ecklund said. “We wanted the high school students to be able to come and get a snack and drink and then we also wanted our students to learn social skills that they can use for their future when they graduate high school.”  

The shoppe is an excellent simulation of what it’s like to work retail for the Life Skills students seeking work experience.  

“It feels like you’re actually doing business,” junior Joseph Sabolcik (JW) said.   

This business is teaching the students valuable things that they can take with them into adulthood and use in the real world.  

“It has taught me the different values of working and how it has more advantages than it seems,” freshman Belle Steward said.  

Working for the first time is difficult for most and can take time to adjust to. This opportunity is giving the students a head start in the workforce.  

“They get more comfortable interacting with other people,” Ecklund said. “I also see some students come out of their shell a little bit.”  

The shoppe not only benefits those who are working, but also the students who come to buy from them. 

“I can see the shoppe benefitting students because it provides a way for the students behind the register to learn how to use it, and it provides the students in front of the register a nice snack before third block,” sophomore Royce Boatright said.  

Proceeds from the shoppe are going towards supporting the Life Skills students for their hard work.  

“In the past we’ve used it towards field trips or educational tools for students like headphones,” Ecklund said. “Right now, we’re just trying to get up and running.”