Claymont students start a new company
Ellie Baker, Cambria Edwards, Peyton Halsey and Zane Kuczirka participate in Claymont’s career-tech business program.
Four students from Claymont’s career-tech business program have started a company aimed at helping people stay healthy as they age. Through the Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio’s Company Program, Ellie Baker, Cambria Edwards, Peyton Halsey and Zane Kuczirka founded Age Well, a resource and guideline kit to healthy living for those over 50 years of age.
The kit focuses on a person’s physical, mental, emotional, social and financial health and consists of a curriculum booklet, challenge cards, a resistance band, a digital timer, a magnifying card and a deck of playing cards.
The curriculum guide is nearly 150 pages of exercises, recipes, journal prompts, mental exercises, financial resources for retirement and beyond, and many more tools to stay healthy, and the challenge cards are weekly challenges aimed at keeping someone engaged.
After a significant amount of research, the team created Age Well in order to combat such things as dementia, lack of mobility, loneliness and financial hardship. They validated their thoughts and online research by speaking to local counselors, healthcare professionals, lawyers, financial planners and others to ensure the kit would meet the needs of all who used it.
Even though the kits are marketed toward those age 50 and older, according to CEO Ellie Baker, “In reality this kit is for anyone. Wellness is something we have to prioritize throughout our entire lives. We designed these kits to guide you to become more mindful of your health. The well-being of all people is what is important here at Age Well.”
Claymont is one of the few career-tech business programs in Tuscarawas County and the only school that competes in the Junior Achievement Company Program. In April they will compete against schools from Stark, Wayne, Portage and other surrounding counties in the Junior Achievement Expo, where they will showcase their product in a presentation, commercial, annual report and trade booth display. The most successful teams may apply for the national competition in Washington, D.C. for a prize of $10,000.
Over the past 10 years, the most successful teams in the country have come from Stark County, but Claymont hopes to change that, starting this year.
“I was a little nervous at first, but this has been an amazing learning experience,” Edwards said.
From day to day, students are learning about sponsorships, supply chain, marketing, accounting and production.
Early on, they received sponsorships from First Federal Community Bank, Tusco Display, MaPP Investments and Ember Complete Care. They also have partnered with Blooms Printing, which has taken care of making the curriculum books and challenge cards.
Students work on their company during the school day, and now that the product is on the market, their nights and weekends are getting full as well. They were recently interviewed on the “Ryan and Michele Morning Show” on WJER and will promote and sell their kit at local Rotary Clubs, the Akron Home & Garden Show Feb. 16-18, the Hartville Market on March 2 and many other local events.
If interested in purchasing one of the kits, they are $35 and being sold by the team at local events and on their website at www.agewellja.com. You also can contact Claymont High School to make an order or to help set up a selling event.
Follow their progress on the Age Well Facebook page.