LEE, Mass. — Hundreds of students gathered last week in the Lee Elementary School cafeteria for its first-ever entrepreneur fair. 

 

Over the last two months, the school's fifth graders have been introduced to financial literacy and developed their own businesses based on their interests. 

 

The students kicked off this endeavor toward the end of April, Financial Literacy Month, with the reading of Ty Allan Jackson's first book, "Danny Dollar,"  which he wrote while living in Pittsfield. The book's description says it teaches kids "about finance, banking, investing, and entrepreneurship in a fun and relatable way." 

 

The entrepreneur and author is the founder of the Danny Dollar Entrepreneur Fair, a program that teaches children life and financial literacy skills in collaboration with schools. 

 

Jackson and his buddy "Danny Dollar" flew in from California to admire the students' hard work. The kids flocked around Danny, giving him high-fives and hugs as they proudly showed him what they had developed. The students also received a free copy of Jackson's second book, "Make Your Own Money." 

 

As part of the program, the entrepreneur fair provides the schools with a template that includes its concept and curriculum. The teachers then cater that curriculum to the school's needs, Jackson said. 

 

"We really don't give them a lot of guidance. We kind of give them the format, and then we let them run with it," he said.