A student-run business at Leechburg Area High School is expanding.
Creations by Creation Candles is the latest line of handmade resin jewelry sold by Creation Candles, a custom candle business established last year in the school’s art, marketing, design and technology class.
The course is taught by art teacher Shayle Prorok and enrolls eight students.
Prorok said the goal with the course is to have a self-sustaining business within the school that is run exclusively by students.
The students manage and make decisions on all aspects of the business, including marketing, advertising and the production of candles and, now, jewelry.
Honing her entrepreneurial skills is important to sophomore Sophia Musselman of Leechburg.
Musselman and classmate Sophia Charles worked for weeks to perfect the resin-making process and are set to share their tips and tricks with the rest of the class.
Each piece of jewelry is made of resin and cured under an ultraviolet light after being poured into a mold.
Plans include creating original molds and setting up a business Facebook page.
All jewelry pieces are priced from $3 to $15 and are sold on campus and social media, with Prorok posting photos of the items.
Custom orders are accepted.
Prorok said necklaces are the top sellers, followed by earrings.
“Sophia Squared,” as Prorok likes to call the girls, said the jewelry-making experience includes a lot of trial and error.
“We do have a pile of ‘mistake’ jewelry,” Musselman said. “It’s a meticulous process.”
Musselman said she is inspired by her own interests.
“I’m a flower person. I just like creating something, and I like to design something I would want to buy,” she said.
Each jewelry piece takes about 10 minutes to cure.
Charles had experimented with creating resin jewelry with her mother at home and suggested adding the venture to the class.
“It’s fun to create things but it’s not relaxing because of the details, and you can get frustrated when it doesn’t turn out how you want,” Charles said. “It’s fun to see people buy them, and they say, ‘Oh, my God. Wow. You made this!’ ”
To date, the class has earned several hundred dollars selling jewelry.
“The students are learning about small business, and the students come up with all of the ideas. We thought this jewelry line was good, and it was time to branch out into something new,” Prorok said.
Money earned goes back into the business and helps to pay for equipment, supplies and expansion.
Leechburg Area graduate Arwen Rak was a founding member of Creation Candles.
“It makes me happy to see something me and very few other girls started do so well, so well that it’s expanding,” Rak said.
To purchase jewelry, email creationcandles@leechburg.k12.pa.us.
