The Cove opens as first of three new student-run school stores

Three new student-run school stores are launching this year at Park Center, Osseo, and Maple Grove senior high schools, creating new hands-on business learning opportunities for students across the district. Park Center is the first to open its doors with the launch of The Cove, where Pirates can now find school gear and plenty of Pirate pride.

The work started well before opening day. Last spring, Park Center IB Business students helped plan merchandise and prepare for the new store. They launched sales during the school’s Pirate Palooza event in August while their permanent store space was still under construction. Now, The Cove is officially open and filled with merchandise, Pirate decor donated by staff or community members and pieces of PCSH history.

The Cove is more than a place to buy a sweatshirt. It is part of Osseo Area Schools’ growing Career and Technical Education (CTE) Business programming and gives students a chance to experience what it takes to run a real business. Students can apply skills in marketing, accounting, inventory, customer service, merchandising and market research while serving their own school community.

“This is the kind of hands-on learning at the heart of our CTE Strands,” said Tanya Drake, a College and Career Readiness leader for the district. “Students can learn business concepts in class and then put those skills to work with real products, customers, decisions and challenges.”

Park Center may be first out of the gate, but additional school stores are opening this school year at Osseo and Maple Grove senior high schools as well, giving students at all of these schools the opportunity to build business and career skills while creating something special for their school communities as part of the district’s Building a Better Future plan.