NOV 11 MEDIA RELEASE__When it comes to Christmas presents, it may seem like kids these days are only interested in technology.

Not so with the Bluffton High School students in Ms. Lovell's financial literacy classes, who picked out some hypothetical gifts for themselves on a field trip to the Bluffton Ten Thousand Villages, 115 S. Main. These high school seniors enjoyed selecting novelties and other Fair Trade items. 

Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit with a mission: to eradicate poverty and preserve the environment. Fair Trade is a movement that changes the way international trade works through better payment, decent working conditions, ecological preservation and a fairer deal for farmers and workers in developing countries.

"We are so grateful to have Ten Thousand Villages as a part of our community. As a Financial Literacy teacher, I am grateful to have the opportunity to show my students that being financially responsible includes more than just 'dollars and cents,' states Bluffton High School teacher Mikey Lovell; "As our students become more financially independent, it is important for them to understand that they have the power to use their spending decisions to support the ethics and causes that they believe in."

Pictured above:

Avery Sprunger with a magnifying glass from India; Kaydrie Wehrly with a field bag hand-woven by women in Nepal; Mya McDougle with a carved trinket box; Adrian Murray holds a mustard yellow cotton throw from India; Joziah Salazar shows a mini turtle planter; Maddie Shepherd holds a fluffy guinea pig made from alpaca fleece in Perú.