Rosemount Elementary's fifth-graders have prepped for weeks for this field trip: drafting résumés, interviewing and creating business plans.
By the time they boarded the bus Monday morning, they each had been assigned a job — banker, engineer, CEO — and were dressed for a day of role-playing work in collared shirts, ties and sweaters.
They were one of the first classes to experience the new JA BizTown — one of two experiential learning labs that are part of Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest's new $20 million headquarters in St. Paul.
The nonprofit's new location in a renovated building on University Avenue replaces its old Maplewood facility and more than doubles the learning lab space primarily used for school field trips. More than 30,000 children and teens are expected to visit each year.
"We are so excited about having this shiny new space," said Lori Dossett, the nonprofit's spokeswoman. "It's fun to hear the kids call it the best field trip of the year. They get to act like adults for the day. They show up ready for their job."
Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest, formed in a 1982 merger of the Minneapolis and St. Paul chapters that date back to 1949, teaches children and teens about finance, business and career readiness.
Its new building, which officially opened to students in January, was paid for with donations, including $4 million from Minnesotans Jim and Pat Hemak. Jim Hemak participated in Junior Achievement in high school and grew up to become one of the largest Great Clips franchise owners in the country.
A simulated Main Street
The two main attractions at the new space are JA BizTown for elementary and middle-schoolers and JA Finance Park for high-schoolers. Each one offers a 12,000-square-foot simulated Main Street with 18 storefronts that provide students hands-on lessons.
![Rosemount Elementary fifth-graders learned to run a small cafe at Junior Achievement's "BizTown," Monday, February 4, 2019 in St. Paul, MN. The "BizTown" is a make-believe city with 18 storefronts. Before arriving, children apply and interview for jobs and then execute them. They take out loans from the bank, make purchases and tally sales at their shops. The center is part of Junior Achievement's new $20 million learning center. ] ELIZABETH FLORES • liz.flores@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/DJBLPZNOU2GQAI5IO4BK2U3GFA.jpg?&w=1080)
