First Graders Assist Local Home Builder

Published May 31, 2013

Pearre Creek Elementary School first graders got some firsthand experience in making important business decisions when they named two new floor plans for one of the area's top home builders.

Jennifer Maher's class had been studying topics like goods and services when she invited her father, John Maher, to visit the students and talk about his role as President of John Maher Builder's Inc.

“We were studying how jobs within a community work,” said Jennifer Maher. "Dad asked the students to think of all the jobs that are part of building a house. From architects to bricklayers and painters, to furniture salespersons, he also showed and explained different plans for neighborhoods and houses."

Maher also asked the students to help him name two new floor plans for a community that's being built in Spring Hill. The students entered their names into a drawing to determine one new floor plan name, The Liliana. The other floor plan will be named The Pearre Creek.

“I think it is important for kids to see that business decisions are personal,” Maher said. “As a business owner, I make decisions every day that affect the lives of many other people. Many of these students may have the opportunity to work in or even own a small business someday and I hope they might remember being a part of a small business decision as a first grader.”