If you are a student at Central, then you have probably heard of, or been to the school’s pub. It is in junior hall and sits behind two, lovely green doors that are ready to open for all to see. The pub is open during the week, before school starts every morning. According to Levi Osborne, who teaches Business Solutions and Computer Science at Central and is the pub’s faculty advisor, the pub will be opening in mid-October. Get ready if you have been waiting for the opening this school year. But beyond opening this year, it’s important to know how the pub got its start: the history behind its creation, how it took off, and how the business works here at Central.

According to Mr. Osborne, the pub first opened in 2009 when a group of Business Solutions students introduced the idea of starting up a small business inside the school. This small business idea led to the creation of the pub at Central, which is now opening its doors for the 15th time this year. When the students make a profit at the pub, they can use those earnings to add more to the pub and shape it to how they want their business to look. Mr Osborne states, “The students then use about half of that for a legacy project that improves the pub in some way. They’ve painted, bought new appliances, purchased a couch, added wall decorations, and all kinds of other projects. The rest of the profit gets donated to the next year of the Pub, so they have cash to start out with.” The students working at the pub buy a variety of things to make the pub look more welcoming to its customers.

Mr. Osborne also takes the role of the owner of the pub, and he explains what his specific role is, saying, “I’ve been with the Pub the entirety of its existence. I play the role of the ‘owner,’ as I try to simulate what a small business would look like as closely as possible. I fill in and work a job from time to time, but mostly just supervise and do weekly job evaluations.”  He has been with the pub from day one and has his own duties along with the rest of the students working there. One of the best ways to teach a student what running a business is like is to actually put them in the position of working in a business. Osborne wants students to know

what it truly feels like to work in a business: having to learn the hardships of being a business owner, and dealing with real cash, real items, and real people in the business world. This helps students greatly when it comes to working in a business when they get older, as they will understand the business world much more when they get out of high school.

“This year I have 10 students in the Pub. They rotate through all the jobs; that way everyone has the experience of working each different position,” Osborne explained. He shows that everyone working will have a unique experience every time they work at the Pub. Students will get a feel for each different position when they work at the Pub, and they may have an idea of what they want to start doing when they work in a small business outside of school. Mr. Osborne does an excellent job of helping with running the pub at Central, and he pushes his students in the right direction when it comes to working in a business.

“We are hoping for a mid-October opening. The students write a business plan and then do a presentation to an outside ‘investor’ who then decides if the students are ready to accept the funds from last year and start the Pub back up. This year’s investor presentation was on October 8th, so we should have a firm Grand Opening date shortly after that.”  Mr. Osborne shows how the business class has presented their idea to another ‘investor’ and they saw if they are ready to open for everyone else here at Central.

Overall, the Pub is a great business that will prepare students for future jobs, and it has been successful in recent years. If anyone is waiting for the grand opening this year, then you should be expecting an opening here in October 21st of this school year.