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Schools

Wolf Hill International Day Deals in Diamond Dollars

The third grade social studies assignment is designed to school kids in economics.

If you're third grader came home today complaining about the exchange rate and the falling price of Leaf Loot, then she must be a part of 's mini-society, a program run by third grade teachers.

The program is a social studies unit aimed at teaching economics in a relatable way. For their work students designed a society where they chose their style of government, elected officials, applied for jobs and created a business selling a service or good.

Each society held two market days within itself during May where students could buy and sell to their classmates.The unit culminated on Friday when students from all societies got to intermingle, exchange their currency and shop from everything from glitter starfish key chains to duct tape bows.

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Principal Melanie Lipinski said this year's student ideas "were extremely unique this time."

Parents were also invited to the event where student propietors proudly displayed their wares as moms and dads filed through each society to spend the currency designed and minted by each class. (Parents got payment for their help gluing, baking, shopping and planting.)

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In Mrs. Santi's class Chris Algieri created his own disco party. For three Limbo Loot, patrons could dance to Saturday Night Fever and other disco favorites while his desktop disco ball spun.

In Mrs. McCarthy's class, Space City, Jacey Schnappauf took your picture with a giant blow-up alien, for three Cosmic Coins, surely changing Facebook profiles all over .

Madison LaRosa sold the famous ice cream cannolis from her family's Red Bank bakery in Mr. Birnbaum's class, while Megan Gammon sold her home grown Zinnia's. For a small Leaf Loot fee, Max Cramer would let you try your hand at Temple Runner on his family's tablet.

Mrs. Keenan's class named their society Crystal Falls, which we hear was the richest town in all of third grade. Their currency was Diamond Dollars.

The inequality was part of the lesson, said Mrs. McCarthy, as students learned everything about the value of currency to the difference between needs and wants.

Additional reporting by Nyla Winning.

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