As part of Junior Achievement’s Exchange City, fourth-graders at Olde Providence Elementary recently operated their own city, experiencing actual roles and tasks in running businesses and providing public services. After completing six weeks of classroom lessons, students assumed roles as business owners, employees, producers and consumers, and private and public service employers and employees. The educational fun took place in 14 businesses in an 8,000-square-foot, life-size town set at South Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte. JA-Exchange City, which opened in 2002, uses more than 1,800 business volunteers and runs the program during the school year for public and private students in fourth through sixth grades. For details, visit www.jacarolinas.org.

Olde Providence fourth-grade teacher Jill Boyajy helps Ahram Cho, left, and Anna Foster (vice president of the bank for the day) begin preparations for “cashing” city workers’ paychecks.	Medical emergencies occur in all metropolitan areas – even JA-Exchange City. Angelina Moreno (center), Rachel Powell and Christopher Yerton discuss an incoming “emergency” and action plan with a Junior Achievement volunteer.

What city is complete without a radio station? Kaela Lornson operates the JA-Exhange City’s airwaves booth sponsored by WBT Radio.	All’s well at City Hall, an area sponsored by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Pictured from left are Tully Conroy, city mayor; Evan Stathakis, judge; Sebastian Hernandez, judge; Olivia Austin, city attorney; and Connor Dilsworth, city finance manager.