Bringing the Real World to Life
A New Facility Aims to be a Centralized Hub of Business, Finance and Trade Careers for Students
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY POLK COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS | DESIGNED BY ELIZABETH PEREZ-LIBRAN
More than ever students want to be immersed. Whether it’s waiting in long lines to be part of large crowds watching their favorite music artist, simulating real-life adrenaline and excitement with virtual reality headsets or dropping hard-earned cash to buy the swag and go to the theme parks associated with their favorite characters, they are looking for something that’s more than just “by the book.”
Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, students in Polk County will be thoroughly immersed in the realities of finance, business and trade work, and have new tools to realize how each of those areas offer possibilities for their futures at The Barnett Family JA Discovery Center at Teneroc High School in Lakeland.
For more than a decade, Polk County students have enjoyed immersive entrepreneurial educational field trips to the Junior Achievement (JA) BizTown and JA Finance Park in Tampa, but this new local facility will be the first of its kind in the nation to incorporate the trades as well, helping 5th and 8th grade students understand potential career paths in six different trade industries.
“Schooling doesn’t just take place in the classroom…it’s a number of things and opportunities and influences that are able to mold a student and get them properly ready to graduate from high school,” said Shauna Dykes, Vice President of Districts for JA of Tampa Bay. “The truth is some of these students don’t have any touch points outside of what they experience through a classroom…so I think the more we expose them [to this type of programming] the greater chance they have of making informed decisions and leaving our school district ready to enter their adult life.”
“Schooling doesn’t just take place in the classroom…it’s a number of things and opportunities and influences that are able to mold a student and get them properly ready to graduate from high school,”
It’s a natural and transformative development for Polk County on the site of Teneroc, where the highly-experiential 3DE high school education model has already been successfully implemented by JA.
The 20,000 square foot facility will include simulated storefronts and will look much like a state-of-the-art science and industry center that equates to a lab that simulates real-life “adulting.”
In the BizTown space, 5th grade students will be assigned jobs in industries such as finance, corporate business, healthcare and food service. They will engage in mock interviews, be assigned tasks for the day and earn “currency” they will be able to spend on lunch options and in a retail space. By the end of a trip to the Discovery Center, students should have an understanding of career building, earning, saving and spending.
Sykes said a visit to the Finance Park for eighth-graders will be like a real-life production of the iconic board game Life.
“Students will be assigned a random life scenario including credit scores, a salary, whether they have a family or don’t have a family…and they have to balance a budget based on that scenario, and they may even have student loan debt and those kinds of things to budget for,” Sykes said.
Students will be confronted with real-world decisions like buying organic vs. store brand food, housing costs, car loans and more.
As part of the Finance Park experience, pre-teens and teens will also take a short survey that helps them explore suitable careers and they will dive into trades like construction and plumbing.
The project is the result of highly collaborative efforts of the private and public sector. The Barnett Family made the lead gift in the fundraising efforts, and last October now-Polk County Supervisor of Elections Melony Bell presented a $2.5 million check from the State of Florida that was allocated to the project.
PCPS Superintendent Fred Heid has been a vocal advocate of how the center will empower students and help them develop essential skills, and Melody Rider, President of ConnectED Polk has served as the campaign chair to help bring businesses to the table.
Sykes said the project is currently about two-thirds of the way funded, and entities or individuals interested in investing in it can learn more at japolk.org/ja-discovery-center.
Some of the foundational sponsors include: Lakeland Regional Health, Rodda Construction, Publix Employee Federal Credit Union, YMCA of West Central Florida and Stuart Plumbing Service.
Jason Rodda, CEO/President of Rodda Construction Inc., said they are excited to be part of something that will equip the next generation with the tools they need to thrive.
“As a local contractor, we take pride in being deeply rooted in our community—not just through the projects we build, but the impact we can help to make beyond the job site,” he said. “It gives students a hands-on look at real-world careers, including the many opportunities within construction and skilled trades.”