Transforming School Store Vending
Camdenton High School’s Spirit Box Success Story
What started as a single vending machine school store at Camdenton High School has grown into a thriving, student-led business program that exemplifies project based learning, entrepreneurial growth, and the power of a CTE-aligned curriculum. Follow the incredible journey of Tyler Hunter and the DECA program at Camdenton High School in Missouri, as they demonstrate how school store vending can evolve into an impactful educational experience.
Hear from Camdenton’s Business & Marketing Teacher and DECA Advisor, Karen Fehrmann on how they went from one box to three and how much it increased sales. Camdenton was the first school to pilot “vending take” over and she explains her experience in less than two minutes.
A Simple Start
Camdenton’s Spirit Box journey began with a single school store vending machine offering basic school supplies like pencils and earbuds. Tyler Hunter, then a junior, was responsible for keeping the machine stocked and operational.
After a basketball injury sidelined him, Tyler decided to focus his energy on the Spirit Box school store vending project. “After my concussion, I redirected my attention to learning and doing more with our Spirit Box,” he shared.
Vending Takeover
By Tyler’s senior year, the DECA team’s single vending machine had grown into a booming business. Tyler analyzed sales data, experimented with inventory, and introduced new products based on student preferences. His efforts paid off, boosting daily sales from $40-$50 per day to $250-$300 per day. Snacks and drinks became the top-selling items, inspiring Tyler to think bigger.
Recognizing an opportunity, Tyler and the DECA team worked with school administrators to take over the existing vending contract from a third-party vendor. The goal was to manage all school store vending operations internally. This initiative led to the addition of two new vending machines: one dedicated to snacks and another for drinks. With three machines running, their school store, student-led vending business went from $7,176 to achieving over $16,253 in high-margin sales during the first year of the vending takeover (2019). Since their vending takeover in 2019, they average $46,525 annually which the advisor uses to help pay for student programs, DECA trips and more.
Since their vending takeover in 2019, this student-led school store has seen impressive growth. In just the first year, sales skyrocketed from $7,176 to $16,253—a staggering 126% increase!
Achieving DECA Gold Certification
Given their team’s ability to demonstrate expertise in financial management, marketing strategies, and operational planning - all critical components of a CTE-aligned curriculum - the project based learning program achieved one of its most significant milestones: earning DECA’s School-Based Enterprise (SBE) Gold Certification. This recognition not only validated their hard work but also reinforced the educational value of the Spirit Box program.
“By running Spirit Box, I’ve expanded my knowledge in the field of marketing and business,” Tyler said. “This experience gave me the confidence to feel like I can thrive in any occupation and accomplish any task I’m assigned.”
Real Impact
The financial success of Camdenton’s Spirit Box project based learning program extends beyond impressive sales numbers. Profits have funded leadership conferences, student trips, and other opportunities. According to advisor Karen Fehrmann, “We took 28 students to a leadership conference in Branson, and the trip was fully funded by Spirit Box earnings. Last year, we ended with $20,000 in our account, and I expect to exceed that this year.”
Fehrmann also noted how Spirit Box has transformed the school’s business program. “Other schools struggle to fund their programs, but Spirit Box gives us financial stability and the freedom to focus on student development.”
Lessons from Camdenton
The success at Camdenton High School demonstrates how school store vending can provide students with a hands-on, project based learning experience that goes far beyond the classroom. By combining a CTE-aligned curriculum with real-world business challenges, students gain valuable skills and build confidence in inventory management, financial planning, marketing and business decisions.
For schools considering a similar program, Fehrmann emphasizes the importance of teamwork and strategy. “It was simple to set up, and the payoff has been incredible. Spirit Box makes it easy to scale and adapt to your school’s needs.”
Why Spirit Box Works
CTE-Aligned Curriculum: Spirit Box integrates seamlessly into career and technical education programs, teaching students practical business skills.
Hands-On, Project Based Learning: Students take ownership of operations, gaining experience in areas like marketing, financial management, and customer service.
Fundraising Tool: With good management, school store vending machines can generate significant profits to fund educational initiatives.
Join Spirit Box Nation
Camdenton’s story showcases the potential of school store vending. From a single machine to a thriving program with top national rankings, the Spirit Box program empowers students to lead, innovate, fail fast (in a safe environment), pivot and then succeed like real entrepreneurs.
Camdenton High School is not an anomaly. Hear how other high schools nationally like, Rio Rancho in New Mexico, generate an average of $63,880 per year with three school store vending machines ($37,394 of that from 1 beverage machine), or how Sandi Johnson at Park Tudor High School in Indianapolis got approval to purchase their machine and paid it off within four months of sales. Their one machine generated $34,326 in the first year and they’re on track to hit $50k this school year.
So whether your school is looking for a project based learning program, to enhance its CTE offerings, achieve DECA certification, or fund new opportunities, Spirit Box school store vending is the solution.
Ready to bring Spirit Box to your school? Start your journey today and see the difference it can make for your students.
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