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By DONETTA GODSEY
Staff Writer

Oxford High School will soon offer its students a unique entrepreneurial program: reopening and running the Oxford Old Mill. The project, conceived in 2006, will also give students an opportunity to help preserve a portion of Oxford history.

The mill, also known as the Old Champeny Mill, would contain a specialty restaurant and a gift shop and would become a location for displaying and offering art work created by Oxford students. It would also showcase musical performances by students and local talent.

In an effort to make this dream a reality, discussions have been ongoing with Hal Ross one of the owners of the Old Champeny Mill Corp., for several months.

When Superintendent of Oxford Schools Deb Hamm and her husband, Joe, came to Oxford in 2006, they visited the old mill with Wallace Champeny, Ross's partner.

"When I saw the old building, I was just enthralled," said Hamm. According to the superintendent, the mill has not been open to the public since she arrived in Oxford a year ago in August.

"I started thinking about how our students could benefit from being able to use this wonderful piece of history only two blocks from the school in a real-world way through entrepreneurship," Hamm said.

She had seen a similar project being done in Hesston where students ran a coffee shop and were responsible for all aspects of the business - payroll, ordering, maintenance and working as employees.

"I talked to a couple of school board members," said Hamm, "to see if they thought it was even within the realm of possibility."

With the school board's encouragement, Hamm presented the concept to the mill owners, the Oxford Chamber of Commerce, Sumner County Economic Development, Kansas State Department of Education, Pam Moore from Legacy, a Community Foundation, and many Oxford residents for ideas and suggestions.

After Janis Hellard of Sumner County Economic Development heard about Hamm's idea, she contacted Lisa Roberts of Cowley College. Roberts is the director of business industry and entrepreneurship at the college. Hellard encouraged Roberts to contact Hamm to determine if together they could create a program for which students could earn college credit.

"It's all about networking," said Roberts. "I approached Dr. Hamm, and we started working on the idea. I think we have developed a great 'best practice' learning opportunity. The students will have a hands-on experience where they can actually see, touch, taste and feel how a business runs."

She added that Oxford students will also be getting the experience of some classes online. They will be "a jump ahead" of some students who have not taken classes online, and that is definitely the future of education, she said.

Oxford Chamber of Commerce President Kathy Pulley moved to Oxford last May from the Topeka area. "We had seen the old mill advertised and were very excited to see it," Pulley said. "The first day we arrived in town, we drove past it and were so disappointed to find out that it had been closed."

According to Pulley, when Hamm approached the chamber with the idea of reopening the mill, the feedback was very positive.

"We (Oxford Chamber of Commerce) are 100 percent behind this project," said Pulley. "It will be a good thing for the city and for the students. It's a win-win situation. The Old Mill is a treasure that Oxford should not lose."

Currently, the reopening concept formulated by Hamm and others has been accepted by the Oxford school board and the mill owners. The school district will lease the mill from the corporation.

This fall, ongoing activities for the project will include fundraising, development of entrepreneurship with Oxford schools' team, and research and application for grants. The Legacy Foundation has agreed to provide support for the management of funds which may be generated from donations, foundations, grants and the school district. Fundraising events already being planned include opening for Christmas in the Country, held the weekend after Thanksgiving, and special parties in November.

Oxford students will design an overall business plan to give them a chance to develop skills related to managing their own business. Students will develop marketing, financial and personnel skills and have the opportunity to earn college credits for courses while earning money working outside of school.

Many Oxford classes will be involved in the process of development. Business classes may help in advertising, marketing, creating paper menus, Web page and merchandising with the Old Mill logo. The Family and Consumer Science classes will take part in marketing and merchandising and menu preparation. Agriculture classes might be responsible for outdoor landscaping, decking and water-life and other maintenance. The FFA may take part in raising livestock such as cattle and hogs to supply meat to the restaurant. Welding classes can assist in gates, fences, swings and outdoor tables. Art students would be allowed to display and possibly sell their work.

Oxford resident David Sutton's son, Ryan, is a sophomore at Oxford High School. David Sutton said he feels the project is a good idea and Ryan will probably be taking part in it.

"It's a great opportunity to learn how to run a business first-hand and that's the best way to learn," said Sutton. "But it will take a lot of responsibility on the part of the students and will definitely need to be supervised by capable adults. It will also give the students a vested interest in preserving this landmark in Oxford that they see every day."

The goal is to open the Oxford Old Mill for limited occasions January.

During the summer and fall of 2008, the business plan will be completed, and Oxford students will be allowed to earn college credit in BUS 1413 - The Entrepreneurial Experience - offered as an online and in classroom class through Cowley College. A new group of students will be enrolled in this class each semester.

If you would like to be involved in helping reopen this historic landmark, there will be many opportunities. For more information, contact Dr. Deb Hamm, (620) 455-2227.

About the mill

The Oxford Old Mill was built in 1874 by D.N. Cook and John Hewitt. A three-mile long hand-dug channel, parallel to the Arkansas River, brought the water that produced the electricity to power the mill. Later, a dam was built across the river to add power, and in 1910 Charles Champeny bought the mill. The mill's flour and cornmeal boasted the slogan "Oxford's Best." After Charles Champeny's death, current owners Hal Ross and Wallace Champeny restored the mill. In 1935 the "new" mill was opened to produce birdseed and allow tours.

Until recently the mill was open to the public as a restaurant, local historic attraction and gift shop.