To empower students at Hermiston High School through hands-on business experience, fostering leadership, lifelong learning, and a positive community impact.
The Dawg House envisions a future where students develop essential business skills, exhibit ethical business practices, and contribute positively to the community while building the confidence to excel in their academic and career pursuits.
A student store has existed in some form for decades at Hermiston High School. The official Dawg House store front was created with the rebuild of HHS in 2002. At that time, the store sold school spirit gear, candy, snacks, and school supplies through the marketing program. As time has passed, laws changed, and customer shopping patterns adjusted, the Dawg House has had to reinvent itself. We are excited to partner with our Computer Science department to bring our customers a fully functional online shopping experience. The Dawg House will be meeting the apparel needs of the entire school district very soon.
Hermiston High School is proud to offer five student managed businesses. Students interested in this level of commitment have completed one of the four business programs; Business Administration, Finance, Hospitality, and or Marketing. In their senior year a student would take Advanced Business Procedures to apply the skills learned in their other courses. We encourage all students to begin with Introduction to Business in their 9th grade year.
Students in ABP take on roles like accountant, controller, human resources or sales & Promotions. They are responsible for the decision making and operations of each business. The businesses utilize industry level equipment including management software. Managers solve real world problems daily and work at the pace of business to keep a competitive advantage.
Each business works with the intent to make a profit. We also hire student clubs and organizations for assistance in operations. Some of the funds will be put back into the business to replace equipment or general maintenance. In 2023, ABP partnered with local businesses to provide our managers with professionally appropriate interview attire. Managers are also able to apply for scholarship dollars to help them pursue their academic goals beyond high school. The student businesses have generated scholarships over $10,000 annually.