Camden Central School District -

There’s a brand new beverage craze sweeping Camden High School - one made by students, for students. On Friday, September 19th, the Camden Corner Store club began selling flavored lemonade to their peers alongside their existing coffee cart operation.

The idea originated with interns Zachary Giarusso - who also serves as the club’s president, and Anna Gilsenan - the club’s vice president and treasurer. They observed sustained demand within the student body for a refreshing, non-caffeinated beverage, and came to the conclusion that flavored lemonade may meet that niche. The duo pitched advisor and business teacher Judy Dacey and principal Aaron Fiorini on the idea, and they went to work from there.

Their first step was to prepare a business plan to determine how to make the concept worthwhile. They determined the total cost of goods sold, produced a list of products needed for startup, and endeavored to balance the profit margin with a reasonable price point, which came out to about three dollars for a 20 oz cup with lid and straw.

Giarusso and Gilsenan also needed a recipe for their product, and teacher/resident lemonista Tracy Hooker was happy to oblige, and even went as far as to donate four flavored syrups to move the project forward. Dacey provided a five gallon container, and her business department colleague, Steven Klepadlo, provided a cash box for the funds.

There were also lessons to be learned across the business department as the plan unfolded, and with those lessons came a clever nickname for the servers.

Dacey’s career and financial management class discussed supply and demand, and the entrepreneurial details behind the logistics of selling lemonade. During this discussion, the term “lemon heads” was coined by Rian Miller, for students who will be serving lemonade, aka “lemonade heads.”

Friday’s soft opening delivered a great response to the new product. The students sold 37 drinks in their maiden endeavor - an encouraging sign that business was on the right track. They will continue serving two days a week to ensure they can keep up with demand, with Tuesday and Friday standing as the days they’ll serve in their first full week. Proceeds from each three dollar cup will go toward expenses, and to the Camden Corner Store’s intern scholarship fund.

Dacey offered her thanks to all who came to support the students in their opening, and added this pitch to future students about taking business classes at Camden High School.

“Stack your successes with business classes!”