When the lunch bell sounds at Turlock High School, students head to a thrift store operated by their peers. The store, filled with dresses, shoes, gymwear and other donated items, offers more than just shopping. It rewards positive behavior and teaches students practical skills while supporting those in need.
Students earn “Bulldog Bucks” for responsible actions in class. These can be used to purchase items at the thrift shop, which is managed by English teacher Virginia Barr and a team of student volunteers. The project was launched after the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to reconnect students with their school community.
“Especially after COVID, children had a disconnect from school, and we’re trying to get them reconnected,” Barr said. “It is an initiative in order to try to motivate students to be the best they can be through tapping into their needs and their wants and getting and providing rewards.”
The store’s creation depended on community involvement. After securing city certification for operation, donations helped supply needed clothing racks and merchandise. “We had a gentleman who had closed his business and he actually donated a lot of the racks that we use,” Barr said. “Then the marching band was like, ‘Hey, we’ve got racks that we don’t use, do you want to use our racks?’”
Kristen Cole, counselor at Turlock High and member of the district’s Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports team, noted that thrifting appeals to many young people as an environmentally conscious choice. She said it allows students from diverse backgrounds—including cheerleaders and refugees—to participate without stigma.
“It seems like the younger generation is a little bit more aware of overconsumption and our environmental footprints and those types of things,” Cole said. “ We’re able to reuse and really find homes for these items in a full-circle way. Students feel like they’re making an impact on the environment.”
Student volunteers help operate the shop through the Thrift Club, gaining experience in retail tasks such as restocking shelves while learning financial responsibility and building social connections.
“It helps being able to connect with the people at this school, because you see a lot of people come in here and oftentimes, you wouldn’t talk to them unless you’re in a classroom with them,” junior Ruby Linn said. “It allows for a lot of face-to-face communication.”
Since opening two years ago, the thrift store has circulated over $4,000 in Bulldog Bucks through sales including 178 jackets and 170 prom dresses—making formal wear accessible for students who might not otherwise afford it.
Donations have included high-end items such as an Oscar De La Renta tuxedo: “We actually put it up for 10 Bulldog Bucks. It gave one particular gentleman the motivation he needed to get his work done, to improve his behavior, because he wanted it just so bad,” Barr said.
The reach extends beyond campus; when a local family lost its home in a fire, the store provided furniture free of charge.
Some essentials like hair ties or toiletries are always available free for students—a practice Barr started early in her teaching career. “When I started teaching 22 years ago, I realized a kid’s attitude completely changes when a small fix is done,” she said. “When you don’t have to have your hair in your face, when you get a hair tie, you automatically have a change in attitude. You become much happier, and happy students really do make life so much easier for teachers.”
Senior Xavier Bettencourt volunteers at the shop: “It’s not just customers who I have met through this,” he said. “There’s so many people I’m glad to call close friends of mine who I never would have ever talked to without this opportunity. The acceptance we experience is something that I’ll really take away from this store.”
