Community Grants Report

Community Grants Report
April 2020

USD 407, Reality U

Russell Schools Apple Seed Fund, $2,000, Awarded 11/14/2019

Project Summary: Reality U is a simulation that brings real-world people
into school to simulate post-secondary life. Students progress through
the struggles and successes of life and make connections between career
advancement and life advancement.

Use of Funds: The funds were utilized to bring Reality U to RHS. Students
went through a life simulator based on their input from a survey they filled
out.

Impact & Results: One of my favorite stories from this experience is from an
8th grade participant. He realized, very early on, that is GPA was preventing
him from having access to the jobs (money) he wanted. He went home and
told his mom that they needed to get to work as soon as possible to fix that.
She then emailed us and thanked us for giving her student this opportunity.

This grant was a tremendous influence on our project’s effectiveness because
it is something we would not have been able to do without these funds. The
students talked about their experiences and frequently asked, “Is life REALLY
like this?” The company we brought in is a Kansas company. We also brought
in local business owners who were able to reiterate to them that life actually
IS like that, and they need to be thinking now about their choices.

We reached 130 students, and their time spent in the simulation was focused
and intentional. They wanted to be successful and quickly learned that they
needed certain skills in order to achieve the lifestyle they wanted. When
they were at the housing table, several wanted the biggest house, but then
learned at insurance that they would need more money. Ultimately, many
wound up with roommates in order to afford what they wanted. It was an
overwhelmingly positive experience.

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