What better way for students to learn the ins and outs of client relations, customer service, marketing and entrepreneurship than by getting hands-on with their own business? Enter: The Spirit Box. The first of it’s kind in St. Johns County when it was introduced by Nease’s Academy of Hospitality & Tourism in the fall of 2021, The Spirit Box is a school store concept in a vending machine package. All aspects of the business are student-run: from deciding what to stock, to advertising the goods, to restocking and taking inventory. The business brought in more than $30,000 in revenue during the 2024-25 school year, which put it in the top 10 of highest-earning Spirit Boxes in the country! The business plan for The Spirit Box was presented at DECA and was awarded DECA’s School Based Enterprise Gold Certified award. The box is stocked by Hospitality students with smart snacks that can purchased starting an hour after lunches, in addition to school supplies and specialty items to promote school spirit, including Nease gear and accessories for Friday night football game themes. This school-based business is a real-world way for our Hospitality & Tourism Marketing and Entrepreneurship students to build their skills and raise funds, all at the same time.
