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Student holds up his team's thoughts on revamping and updating the Mall to make it more lively.
Student Developers Driven by Challenge of Revamping the Mall

At Saugerties High School, students in Denyse Ortlieb’s Economics class are taking on that very challenge.

Using the footprint of the Hudson Valley Mall, students are stepping into the role of head developer. Their goal is to redesign the space to best serve the community, and maximize profit by choosing the right mix of stores and services for people of all ages.

The project begins with students drafting their ideas on graph paper. From there, they explain their choices using key economic concepts, including scarcity, opportunity cost, cost-benefit analysis, goods and services, and trade-offs. Finally, students share their designs with classmates, gather feedback, and select their top two proposals.

This hands-on project connects classroom learning to real-world issues, and gives students a chance to think critically about how economics shapes the places where we live, shop, and gather.

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Student holds up his team's thoughts on revamping and updating the Mall to make it more lively.
Student Developers Driven by Challenge of Revamping the Mall

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Saugerties student hand over an piece of paper to a witness during a Mock Trial competition.
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