Students in marketing classes at Shepard High School in Palos Heights are taking a new approach to making sandwiches.
Under the guidance of business education teacher Jennifer Klein, 60 sophomores through seniors enrolled in her marketing course have designed sandwiches, two of which have been selected to be sold at Prime Choice Market at 12701 Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights.
Working in groups of two to three, students were asked to create sandwiches. A winner from her third-period marketing class and one from her fifth-period class are to be on the menu at Prime Choice Market from the last week of October until the semester ends in December.
“This project is definitely a two-way street,” Prime Choice Market owner Ron List said. “We are learning from the students and they are learning how to market a sandwich. We love the school and we couldn’t be happier to be working together.”
Each group’s sandwich idea was submitted to Prime Choice Market, which made a sample of each sandwich for students to taste. Students in each of the two class periods then voted on the best sandwich.
One of the winners, Nick Capers, 15, of Alsip, said the project was a fun and easy way to teach students about market research.
Capers’ sandwich won the third-period class over. He worked with Chris Sneed, 15, of Alsip, on a sandwich they called the Big Daddy. It includes deluxe ham, turkey, bacon, American and mozzarella cheese and lettuce on toasted white bread, with mayonnaise optional.
The fifth-period winning sandwich came from Erica Frederickson, 17, of Alsip; Tom Clark, 17, of Alsip; and Xavier Guy, 16, of Worth. Their sandwich, deemed the Big Buffalo, features chicken breast, lettuce, buffalo sauce and ranch dressing in a wrap.
The students constructed a survey, passed out to other students at the high school, asking about bread, meats, sauces and other toppings. The responses helped them pick the ingredients for their custom sandwich. For example, a student who may have thought that people would want a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich may have gotten results that only five of 20 students like Swiss, encouraging the student to change their cheese selection.
“This project is unique because students will see the real-world results of their work,” Klein said. “I’m not the only one who is going to know about this, like usual school projects. Here, they have an outside audience. Customers from outside of the school — parents, teachers, and local residents — will all be able to see the work and ideas of these students.”
Klein had not previously used this assignment but hopes students learn about market research and survey design. A grad school colleague using the assignment at New Trier High School in Winnetka provided the idea.
Prime Choice Market was chosen because of its proximity to the school and because it is a small, local business that Shepard officials believed would be interested in being involved with the school, according to Shepard Assistant Principal Justin Clark.
“I like this project because they aren’t just talking about market research, but they are actually applying it to a real business,” Klein said. “This is something a business might do, and now the students get to try it as well.”
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Student feedback reflected Klein’s positivity.
“I liked this project because I like sandwiches, and designing one was like a dream come true,” said Francisco Ramirez, 17, of Crestwood.
Kelly White is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.