shades of mike fuller.....

azcentral.com - 3/12/08

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Contraband candy has led to big trouble for an eighth-grade honors student in Connecticut. Michael Sheridan was stripped of his title as class vice president, barred from attending an honors student dinner and suspended for a day after buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate. School spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo says the New Haven school system banned candy sales in 2003 as part of a districtwide school wellness policy.

Michael's suspension has been reduced from three days to one, but he has not been reinstated as class vice president. He says he didn't realize his candy purchase was against the rules, but he did notice the student selling the Skittles on Feb. 26 was being secretive.

I heard this story on my way in to work and it made me think about a friend of mine from back home. Mike Fuller and I went to school together for 12 years. In junior high, Mike started his own business - candy sales. Every morning he'd go by a little market (I think it was the B&B in Indian Springs) and buy his supplies for the day - bubble gum, candy bars, etc. When he got off the bus, kids would come and find him. To make a profit, seems like he basically just doubled his cost. And nobody complained, they were just glad to have a "source" at school. Teachers would sometimes hear about it and Mike would stop selling for a few days, then start things back up.

He knew there were risks, but like any good businessman he weighed the risks with the potential reward. Of course, Mike didn't have a class VP position at stake either.....