Sixth-Grade TREP$ Students Transform Trash to Treasure in Creative Challenge

Sixth-grade TREP$ (short for enTREPrenuer$) students have turned outdated Kent Place uniforms and donated fabrics into functional and fashionable new uniforms and athletic apparel as part of their latest challenge, “Trash to Treasure.”

TREP$ is a hands-on program that teaches Middle School students the fundamentals of launching their own businesses. Through challenges like “Trash to Treasure,” workshops, and research, students gain experience in product development, finances, market research, advertising, and salesmanship. 

Modeling their completed new looks, the sixth-graders presented the design and functionality of their uniforms and promoted their products in live, original commercials. Judges — KPS faculty and staff — evaluated the projects based on adherence to the school’s uniform guidelines, inclusion of the KPS logo, completion, creativity, originality, and the commercial presentation.

“The most challenging part of this project was turning our ideas into a final product and actually creating it,” says Hana Shedosky. “I learned how you can use something as simple as an old Kent Place jersey and turn it into a whole new piece of clothing that’s also super fashionable.”

“We designed a shirt for PE class, with a focus on inclusivity,” says Liliah-Deborah Nicholas. “There may always be a problem in disguise that you can solve — you just have to think about it from different perspectives.”

“You can create beautiful and unexpected things from leftover items, and the uniforms turned out better than I expected,” says Norah Lee.

The TREP$ program culminates in the TREP$ Marketplace, where these budding entrepreneurs launch their original businesses to the public. The event will take place on May 15, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., in the Field House.