| Kenna Allred makes a decision about her transportation needs. |
Reality Town was presented at Canyon View Junior High for the ninth grade students. Parents, teachers and local business leaders operated the booths at the life stops for each student to visit. This year, there were 24 stops each student was required to make. Each booth represented an everyday occurence in real life. The amount the students have to spend is determined by their grade point average and the type of job they could have. Booths were: utilities, housing, communication, insurance, transportation, groceries, clothing, child care, etc. Students learn about everyday life for adults. Another fun booth was called Just My Luck. The students visited that booth and were assigned any number of events that could happen such as emergency surgery or an unexpected inheritance.
Each of the students was presented with a hand book and a check book to pay for their expenses. If students couldn’t survive on their alloted income, then they could take a second job to supplement their income. Students had tough decisions to make such as what kind of housing they could afford, and what kind of car they were going to drive. Many students had spouses that didn’t work and they had to cope with the challenges of being a single income family. As students went from booth to booth they had a taste of reality as they became aware of all the expenses involved in living in the adult world.