Market Day: CTE Collaboration

The entrepreneurship class spent the 2025 fall semester creating business plans to launch during the 3rd annual market day at Halstead High School.

By Sophomore Wiley Hoch

Dec. 15, 2025 At Halstead High School, the cafeteria looked a little different today. The Entrepreneurship class  hosted Market Day — a hands-on project where entrepreneurship students turn a simple idea into a fully functioning food-service business.

To pull it off, each student had to design a complete business plan — from concept, to staffing, to production. That included creating a hiring and firing process, preparing supplies, building their stand, and ultimately selling their product to the entire student body. 

But entrepreneurship students weren’t working alone. They were required to “hire” two graphic design students — who then competed for the job of creating a logo, a menu and a checkout card.

Before any artwork could be finalized, design students interviewed their clients about color schemes, aesthetics, and branding. Then came the revisions — sometimes many of them — before a final design was selected. And in true business fashion… one designer was hired, and one was fired.

Graphic Design students created business logos for entrpreneurship students and their business.

From there, it was time to face the sharks.

Students pitched their businesses to a panel of teachers, administrators, and local business professionals — all acting as investors who had to approve and “fund” the idea.

Once their plans were approved, entrepreneurship students teamed up with Halstead’s culinary classes to cook the food that would be sold on Market Day.

On the menu? A little bit of everything — loaded fries, muffins, chips and salsa, ice cream floats, Korean corn dogs, and more.

During two busy lunch periods, students opened their stands and put their business plans into action — serving and selling to the entire school.

And their efforts paid off.

"According to unofficial totals… this year’s Market Day is the most profitable in its three-year history," business teacher Michaela Forkenbrock said.

The students leave with business skills they can take with them beyond high school.

From concept to cash — Halstead High School students proved that learning business can be as real-world as it gets.