Rock Hill High School teacher honored for business instruction

On Friday, a teacher at Rock Hill High School was honored for her work in advancing financial literacy.

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague presented Lou Anne Capper with the Compass Award for her work with students in creating the Redmen Roaster, a coffee shop on the school’s campus, which is run by students in her business class.

Sprague said it was a new award, created to highlight what local communities are doing.

He said that the class teaches them skills they will use for the rest of their lives, such as handling a budget.

“And one of the students told me, ‘what I learned most was responsibility,’” Sprague said. “Things like showing up on time.”
Capper said the shop, which is open before school and during lunch and sells coffee, cookies and other items, is part of the DigiBiz class, which has about 15 students.

She said it was the idea of the school’s principal, Sam Gue.

“He set it up,” she said.

“A lot of students came to me, interested in being part of it,” Capper said. “And I started looking online for things that might fit.”

She said it was a good chance to teach the students about the workings of business.

“Anymore, students aren’t interested in business and a lot of the classes are college-oriented,” Capper said. “So, when they are interested, we want to give them the opportunity.”

She said they learned all aspects, such as marketing and about what goes into a menu and how to design it.

She said they also talk about things such as 401K plans and how to look for apartments.
Capper said it important to keep use the class to teach them skills they can use in everyday life.

“These are things they are going to carry with them — things that make it real,” she said.

She said it was a great honor and a surprise to get the award from Sprague.

“There was a lot of work going into it,” she said. “That’s what teaching is.”

Sprague also took a tour of the high school and the new Rock Hill Family Medical Center at the district’s board offices.