An Internet Outage Provides Forest Hill Foxes a Unique Biztown Experience

When Forest Hill Elementary fifth graders arrived at JA BizTown last Friday, they expected a fast-paced day of running businesses, cashing paychecks and leading companies across the simulated mini-city.

Suddenly, the world of debit cards, digital banking and automated systems disappeared. Students found themselves balancing check registers by hand, filling out tax and loan paperwork manually and learning how businesses operated before Wi-Fi ruled the world. 

And honestly? The Foxes handled it like pros.

JA BizTown is a hands-on learning experience where students take on real jobs in a fully interactive city, working inside businesses connected to recognizable Memphis and Tennessee companies like First Horizon Bank, AutoZone, International Paper, Amazon and more. Students learn financial literacy, teamwork, communication and leadership while operating their companies throughout the day.

At the bustling Cumulus Media radio station, student reporter Khanya kept the city informed with live interviews and “Question of the Day” segments featuring CEOs from around BizTown, while Macie served as the station’s radio DJ.

“Probably my favorite part of JA BizTown is that I get to work at a job and feel like a boss,” Macie shared. She also quickly learned that live media production comes with pressure.

“How do I even do that?” she laughed while trying to plan the station’s daily broadcast coverage. In a funny full-circle moment, Macie later discovered photos of her mother, Memphis radio personality Danni Bruns, displayed around the Cumulus station walls. Bruns is a longtime host and programmer for 98.1 The Max in Memphis.

One student CEO, Aditi from Amazon, shared her philosophy on leadership. “I’ll make sure I listen to everyone’s ideas and not just be the boss,” she explained. “Even if I don’t like the ideas, they might be better than mine.”

Sri, CEO of Feed Your Soul Cafe, focused on operations and customer experience. “I organize the company,” Sri said. “I make sure everything is running smoothly... popcorn is being filled to the brim, and I feel like everyone’s having a good time coming here.”

Other students highlighted teamwork, fairness and helping others as keys to running successful businesses. Easton from International Paper said he wanted to “keep us all equal and distribute everything equally,” while Robin from Orgill Hardware emphasized creating “a good workplace” for employees.

Of course, the day also delivered plenty of unforgettable elementary-school honesty. “I really want money,” one CEO admitted before quickly pivoting back to customer service and organization.

Khanya also interviewed students throughout the city about their experiences. Willa from Smith+Nephew said her favorite part of BizTown was “getting to work at a job and feel like a boss,” while also learning “to be an adult and handle stuff.”

By the end of the day, the Foxes had done far more than simply run companies. They adapted to unexpected challenges, communicated under pressure and discovered that successful leadership often starts with listening, teamwork and helping others thrive.

Even without the internet.