A big surprise is coming to the Norwood High School Mustangs. Behind the scenes, the Business Pathway Program is working to bring a school store to NHS. A soft launch of The Stable will be coming this spring.
Sophomore Nicayla Pinnick is a part of the Business Pathway and is proud of the bright future ahead of The Stable.
“I am very excited to run it, and it will help bring Norwood Pride to the school, and I am really grateful we are getting real work experiences as high school students,” said Pinnick.
NHS has a big community behind the upbringing of this new project. Stephen Burrill, who is a business teacher at Norwood High School, is the mastermind behind this new adventure. He is the supervisor and one of the administrators in the school store. He is very determined to do what is best for the school and his students.
This store is an opportunity for the Business Pathway students to learn outside the classroom. As of now, the Business Pathway consists of sophomores and freshmen, and they both work individually to fulfill requirements to successfully achieve the end goal of the pathway. They take advanced classes, and the sophomores are enrolled in a college course to grow their business knowledge and get prepared for the real world after high school, while they decide what the future holds for them.
“There is a sophomore Business Pathway and a freshman Business Pathway. Every student who is enrolled in the Business Pathway will be a part of the school store,” said Burrill.
The special part about a student-run school store is the aspect of creativity. This store is a chance for students to dive into the 5 C’s that Norwood High lives up to. They get to be creative and explore a type of critical thinking that not many students get to experience. A big part of this is also collaborating as a group to develop a joint idea that has a little bit of everyone involved.
As the end of the school year approaches, the Business Pathway has big plans. The Stable is coming to life after lots of planning and preparation.
“We’re planning a soft launch for May 8th, where we are going to sell our first edition of a t-shirt,” said Burrill.
The plans for the soft launch are to get a good feel of how everything is going to work. This is a new adventure that has a lot of unanswered questions needing to be answered. The soft launch is a chance for the Business Pathways to make adjustments, grow, and gain a better understanding of the new environment the students are entering.
“This soft launch will be a chance to see how the accounting software works when we’re selling items and inventory check,” said Burrill.
While the soft launch is a sneak peek, the real deal is coming shortly after. The Stable will be up and running for the 2026-2027 school year.
The plan for the store is to be able to provide for the students and faculty at the high school, bringing everyone together.
The aim for the store is to be a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging and the Norwood spirit. The store will not just be selling merch; it will also help solve teenagers’ daily needs throughout a school day.
“We are looking to sell supplies and things of that nature, just anything that students feel is necessary and will be beneficial to them,” said Burrill.
The Stable is an experimental experience that gives students a chance to step outside of a high school classroom and into the real world, for a chance to understand what it feels like. The software in the store will be advanced and something modern.
“We are using QuickBooks, and students are getting certified in QuickBooks, so they will be able to use that application to help the store. It is a great opportunity for students to learn in the classroom and then go into a real environment and apply that knowledge,” said Burrill.
