From Staff Reports

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Nineteen students in the School of Global Business, Language and Leadership magnet program from various GISD schools recently enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of two hometown establishments.

“One of our goals is to provide these students with an understanding of business within a global context, and many of our students have never visited a company,” said GBLL advisor Tracy Glick. “The tours provided a foundation in business and helped reinforce entrepreneurial concepts learned throughout the school year.”

Organizing the trip with both middle and high schoolers further strengthened those notions. The four Rangers acted as mentors to the 15 Sharks, offering a chance to collaborate with and learn from fellow magnet peers.

“The high schoolers encouraged their middle school counterparts to participate in activities and modeled professional behavior,” noted Glick. “The middle schoolers enjoyed working with their older counterparts, and had the opportunity to learn what GBLL is like throughout high school.”

During the outing, the group saw entrepreneurship, international sales and marketing ideas put into real-life practice. In addition to a tour, the students tested out both company’s products and even took time to develop leadership skills during a special stop at another professional landmark.

“The Garland Chamber of Commerce was generous to accommodate us with the space we needed for our lunch break,” Glick explained. “We took that time to participate in various activities, one of which required two students to stand on a small piece of carpet and flip it over without stepping on the floor. The students worked creatively to try to solve this challenge, and learned how to work together with others to tackle it.”

That interactive break proved to be one of the most popular and powerful moments of the day.

“This field trip was a profound learning experience. My favorite part was lunch at the meeting center, bonding with fellow students and practicing team-building exercises,” said eleventh-grader Gabriel Juarez. “This trip opened by eyes to the key factors in a successful business—the most important being teamwork. I will never again forget the necessity of working together.”