2021 Back-to-School Updates from Junior Achievement of Greater Washington
In March of 2020, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington became one of thousands of organizations across the world that had to make a quick and intense early-pandemic pivot to continue our mission. And pivot we did: we are proud to say that our all-virtual efforts were a success, allowing us to deliver the programs that offer our students the access and opportunities that set them up for success in life after high school.
As we embark on yet another unprecedented back-to-school season, our team has kept focus on one question: how do we (once again) use the challenges in front of us to innovate our programming, sharpen the student experience, and work closely and creatively with our partners?
Below, we have laid out what the road ahead looks like in the coming school year. Across each of these programs, one thing remains constant: the immense value of your partnership. While none of us can predict what the next 12 months will bring, what we know for sure is that the more we engage with our partners, the more successful we’ll be.
We look forward to staying in touch in the year ahead. Please drop us a line anytime to connect, ask questions, and join us as we work to get our students inspired and prepared to take on what’s next.
JA Finance Park
While most students in the Washington region will physically return to classrooms this fall, in an attempt to keep students and staff safe and healthy, field trips during the 2021-2022 school year are currently postponed for the Fairfax County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County Public School systems. What this means for JA Finance Park is that, while students will receive live instruction from their teachers in advance of their Park experience, the Park experience itself will be virtual through the fall.
As of February 7, 2022, our JA Finance Park in Montgomery County will be open. Montgomery County Public Schools announced that they will allow field trips to occur during the second semester of the upcoming school year.
While we await the day when our doors will open to all students once again, we are actually quite excited about some of the learning and gains we saw in the last virtual-only year. The year ahead will see a return to our gold-standard, teacher-taught, synchronous learning model for all Finance Park content. Building on that foundation, we saw that students benefitted significantly from the video volunteer components of our asynchronous curriculum. As a result, we will continue those videos in FY22.
3DE
Our 3DE cohorts at Potomac High School (in Prince George’s County, Maryland) and Ballou High School (in Washington, D.C.) will make a highly-anticipated return to the classroom for in-person instruction this fall. In addition, we are thrilled to share that two new 3DE schools will come to life in Prince George’s County in the fall of 2023. Stay tuned for that announcement toward the end of 2021.
We continue to actively seek opportunities for partner engagement at our 3DE campuses. In-person engagement opportunities are available on a case-by-case basis in line with evolving school system policies, and virtual opportunities are available on an ongoing basis. Please reach out to Kassandra White-Prillman if you are a current 3DE partner interested in volunteering in one of the below capacities:
Business advisor (launch)
Business coach (consulting)
Business judge
Business host (offsite trips)
JA Entrepreneurship Pathway
After an outstanding, fully virtual JA Entrepreneurship Summit in July (full recap available here), we are looking ahead to an exciting year of growth in our Entrepreneurship Pathway. Highlights include:
JA Company Program will begin in October 2021 and will run virtually for week-to-week student work for the duration of FY22. This model will continue to some extent in perpetuity because it benefits JAGW’s inclusivity goals.
JA will host all of our signature entrepreneurship events in the year ahead: Quick Pitch in December, Trade Show in February, and Company of the Year in early spring. The format of these events will be determined two to three months before the event takes place, according to current safety protocols.
Hall of Fame Master Classes will be incorporated as student-facing resources, offering an invaluable opportunity to learn from the Washington region’s most successful business leaders.
Live, virtual volunteer opportunities will be offered to our existing partners as they are made available. Stay tuned for select opportunities to serve our young entrepreneurs as:
Mentors
Judges
Investors
Guest speakers
Pitch and interview practice partners