Jim Thorpe High School is set to open a student-run thrift store this week, a project designed to empower students with life skills while serving the community.

The store, named Olympian Threads, will have a soft opening on Wednesday in the high school from 5-6:30 p.m. before Jim Thorpe’s school board meeting.

Avery Hower, the high school’s life skills teacher and department head for special education and transition, spearheaded the project.

“We came up with a motto that was empowering students, one thread at a time,” Hower said.

The idea for the thrift store originated from a need to provide students with practical, work-based learning experiences.

According to Hower, the store will allow students to develop functional skills in a real-world setting.

“We supply a product or service that’s lacking,” Hower said. “So we know that we have one current thrift shop in the church, and we just added this one. The end goal would be to allow the community to come in and utilize that.”

The store will be stocked with various clothing and accessories, including prom attire, jewelry, shoes, purses, and ties. All items have been donated, and the store will operate on a donation-based model.

Hower mentioned that if a student is facing financial hardship, they can obtain needed items at no cost.

“Currently, we have a student that’s in hardship right now,” Hower said. “We’re allowing that student to come in and gain some supplies that they might need.”

Students from Hower’s classroom will staff the store.

“They wear a uniform that is an apron and a name tag,” Hower said. “Students are learning those functional skills as well. They’re sorting the clothes, tagging them with price tags, and hanging them by size on the racks.”

Students will also clock in and out using a work schedule and follow employee expectations. Hower emphasized the importance of maintaining a professional environment.

“If they’re off task, their fellow employees will say, ‘Hey, that’s not what we’re supposed to be talking about. We need to get back on task,’” Hower said.

The program focuses on higher-order transitional skills such as personal growth, effective communication, and teamwork.

“We want to provide valuable and entrepreneurial and career learning experiences to our students while best meeting their individual needs,” Hower said. “All of our students currently going through this are more than capable of holding employment once they leave this building, whether that’s at their senior year or if they are aging out of the program.”

Jim Thorpe Special Education Director Fawn Meli praised Hower’s leadership.

“Avery does a really nice job making sure that they’re using work-appropriate vocabulary conversations,” Meli said. “It’s almost as if we are providing work-based learning opportunities, but rather than outside of the building, we’re in-house.”

The store’s creation aligns with the state’s educational standards, addressing 45 to 50 state goals. Students will be graded on a scoring rubric based on their daily work ethic, which measures their level of independence and areas for improvement.

Hower explained that students would also manage inventory and back stock.

“Since we have an influx of items and we don’t have a place to put them, the students will then box them up, label them properly, and store them,” she said.

Students at Carbon Career and Technical Institute are crafting a new sign for Olympian Threads.

“They are making a beautiful sign that’s going to be hung outside by the door, so you can enter from there, “Meli said.

She also mentioned that the store is modeled after a similar successful program in Stroudsburg.

“They’re 13 years in the making in their thrift store and have made over $100,000 in profits, which then helps fund other things in the program,” Meli said.

Hower hopes the store will become a fixture in the community and provide long-term benefits for the students involved.

“Our mission is to ensure our students are well-equipped for future employability