The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

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Starbucks Project: A Beverage of Knowledge (Part 2)

The Starbucks Project, as once stated, required the Pre-Calculus classes of periods 4 and 6 to undergo a rigorous period that allowed them to have an insight and an intake on the growth pattern of one of the world’s largest enterprises. In part 1, winners of both classes were crowned for their abilities to appeal to the viewers, highlight what the project demanded in a very intriguing manner, and mathematically execute all the necessary steps to getting valid results. Though the winners did eventually stand out from the rest, other groups have, needless to say, displayed phenomenal feats in aesthetics and mathematical procedures. With that in mind, from pure originality to unique approaches towards the project, it is vital that some of these groups are to be commemorated for their daunting approaches towards the project that has put their knowledge to the test.

To put emphasis on the originality of the projects that were presented, some of these students are to be acknowledged. Rozana Atieh, Leah Matari, and Danielle Hampson, for example, had excelled in deliverance and  provided many interesting views on the ways Starbucks hooks future customers, in which such things were done like establishing a symbiotic relationship between the workforce and the conspicuous consumer (ironically, the group presented the students with beverages prior to beginning the presentation itself).  Rather than relying mostly on the physical aspects that made Starbucks a titan in its industry, this specific group would also look at an aspect that was not often looked at as a marketing strategy. Known to misspell customers’ names, Starbucks employees were put on a fictitious kangaroo trial, as the group speculated on the notion that perhaps the employees purposely commit such grammatical butchering in order to reel in more customers in the future. In other words, customers would start visiting the same place over and over again, hoping that one day their names are spelled right.

Another group that is worth mentioning was one that consisted of Michael Waespy, Ki-Young Sung, and Christopher Hulmes. Despite performing under heavy circumstances, ranging from an absent member, to a semi flu epidemic that plagued the group, their presentation was mathematically pioneering when compared to others. One must also put into consideration that the students in this group had never taken a Statistics class, yet their skills in answering the critical questions are impressive enough to assume they have taken AP Statistics. To exemplify their mathematical prowess, in one specific question, the students were asked to congregate on how many Starbucks locations there will be in the year 2020. While many groups revolved around business models and educational speculation, the mentioned group came up with their own equation! Though other groups would soon have the same notion, they were the first to implement the strategy.

While these two groups skewed towards one aspect that set them apart from the rest, other groups resorted to a compromise that would nevertheless deliver the project in great essence. One of those groups, made up of Page Zuber and Katrina Plazsky, whose project was recommended by Ms Smith for mentioning, appeared to be a representative of what many students have done. The group’s work covered insights on the external and internal factors that make up Starbucks’s large coverage of sales and regions, in addition to hitting every mathematical portion on the mark. Going further, they, like many other groups, offered their personal preferences, such as listing their favorite drinks, with Katrina’s being Oprah’s Chai Tea Latte and Page’s being Iced Caramel Macchiato. Their project managed to hit two birds with one stone as their work achieved aesthetic and academic proficiency.

Overall, it is easy to say that the Starbucks project, conducted by the Pre-Calculus department, is an eye opening experience that ushers in the technicalities of the functions used in the real world. It is an activity that helps a student simulate himself/herself into the business world with nothing but intuition and extensive knowledge on the flow of values. From those who received all the glory, to those who have shone brilliantly due to their feats, they can all agree that the Starbucks project was, without a doubt, an activity worth embarking upon. Needless to say, it was indeed a tasty beverage full of knowledge.