High schoolers simulate running real businesses

By Harold Gwin

Business Week gives teens ‘hands-on’ experience in running a company.

SHARPSVILLE, Pa. — The entire junior class at Sharpsville High School is not reporting to its assigned seats this week.

They’re not boycotting classes, nor are they playing hooky.

They’re busy creating and running their own companies, a key focus of the Pennsylvania Business Week experience.

The 85 students are spending their time listening to a range of guest speakers — marketing professionals, attorneys, business owners and operators, and others — as they attempt to successfully run their own “paper” businesses.

The students are divided into six teams of about 15 people each, and the culmination of the week’s activities will be a Friday competition among their respective companies.

“It’s one of the best educational experiences our juniors will probably receive,” said Mark Ferrara, district superintendent.

Pennsylvania Business Week is a one-week, in-school program designed to teach students about the American economic system and the critical role they play in preserving that system. It’s coordinated through the Americans for the Competitive Enterprise System and is taught by private industry with an emphasis on teamwork, organizational skills and high academic rigor.

This is Sharpsville’s third year of participation, and the district is one of only 15 in the state involved — and the only one in Mercer County. Four of the others are also local: New Castle, Lincoln (Ellwood City), Neshannock and Shenango high schools in Lawrence County.

Each team must design a product (cameras and cell phones are big in this year’s event), create a company to produce, market and sell it and then put on a trade show, Ferrara said.

Each team is assigned a “business adviser” and an “education adviser” to offer guidance and assistance, but all decisions are made by the students.

They “run” their company through a computer simulation for the equivalent of 12 business quarters (three years) and then go head-to-head with the other companies in five competitions: Advertising, stockholders, trade show, return on net assets and top company.

The judges are business and industry people who rate each company’s performance.

Ferrara said all members of the winning team each get $100 cash.

The theory behind the exercise is that simulating real-world business decision-making helps students learn leadership skills, teamwork, time management, analytical thinking, problem-solving and people skills.

As part of the process, students are encouraged to examine vocational opportunities in their communities while business people and educators show them the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.

gwin@vindy.com