MANKATO — If Mankato Area Public Schools students and staff are looking for holiday-themed gifts and stocking stuffers, the INSITEful Designs pop-up shop might just have what you need this time of year.
Special education teacher and work and transition coordinator Rebecca Zenk shared just some of the items shoppers can expect to find.
“We’ve got some room sprays that are winter, fall and Christmas scented. We’ve got some lanyards and keychains that are holiday themed as well,” she said.
The shop also has some non-holiday themed gifts available.
But what makes these gifts more unique than what you might find at the store is the work that goes into them.
The INSITEful Designs pop-up shops, which are part of the district’s INSITE program, help teach students in the program important skills such as money management and budgeting.
INSITE is a post-high school special education transition program that teaches students 18 to 21 life skills so that they can be self-sufficient after completing the program.
Zenk said students who help run the pop-up shop are involved in every step of the process, from deciding if an item is popular and worth selling to setting its price and even making it.
“So, a big part of it is budget. They have to understand what does it cost to make something and then what do we price it so we at least make the money back and hopefully get a profit to keep sustaining this,” said Zenk.
Zenk said the program will use some of its profits to celebrate birthdays or partake in fun outings.
“It also helps them understand that in order to do fun things, you have to earn money, and we can relate that to having a job,” she said.
But some of the profits will also go to area nonprofits.
Nineteen-year-old student Gabe Tate said the program helps build people skills.
“It helps prepare us for the real world if we really want to be in the business world,” he said.
The next pop-up shop will be available to staff and students at Mankato East High School on Dec. 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.