Zak Mesbahi and his classmates spent one of the last days before Christmas break whipping up specialty hot chocolate. "Right here, we've got a candy cane, whipped cream and some sprinkles," said the sixth grader. It's just one of the hundreds of chocolate confections he and his classmates are selling inside the halls of Pleasant Corner Public School in Vankleek Hill. "There’s 13 pop-up hot chocolate shops in total that we see around the school during recess," said principal Laura Kirby. It's part of a project from teacher Jennifer Anderson. "Sure, we can do the paper and pencil task, but why not do something that's more involved why not apply it to the real world experience?" said Anderson. Her Grade 5 and 6 students used the activity as a chance to apply their math skills to every day life when it comes to budgeting supplies, while using their creative talents to market their product throughout the school. Prices started at a dollar a cup. Sohpie Smith says, at times, being an entrepreneur can be a challenge. "When you start selling and you see the great big line, it can be kind of overwhelming," she said. "It's a bit tough," added Hazel Young. "Selling to customers, sure they were kindergarteners [but] they couldn't make up their minds. But it was fun overall and we made a lot of money." The students raised more than $1,000, which will be donated to CHEO on Friday. Jackson Stewart said he hoped each cup sold would spread more holiday cheer. "It just makes me very happy seeing people enjoy the hot chocolate that we make," he said.
