• Middle School Reality Store
    Hobart Middle School 8th grade students do not have to wait to grow up to experience the real world for themselves.  Our students take on adult roles during Reality Store, an experience where students are assigned careers, and are asked to stretch their play paychecks to pay their monthly expenses. The benefits allow youth to experience adult life in a make-believe setting and make decisions about such things as occupation, budgeting, lifestyle, choices, etc. 

    Reality Store is much like a popular board game only on a larger scale. It=s similar to Monopoly and the students are the pieces on the board. They are given a checkbook and one month=s income after taxes. The students then visit a series of booths and are required to make a variety of purchases: food, a car, housing, child care, insurance, utilities and luxury items. 

    The students experience family life with children and unexpected events as well. The students with the lower-paying occupations may not fare as well as their wealthier peers. As they experience reality, they learn the importance of preparing for the future while still in school and learn the need for higher education and employment.