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CHS students pitch it to win it
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield High School students Rick Salmen and Kaci Carpenter accepted a donation from Grange Insurance to the school’s Cardinal Café on May 18.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield High School students participated in the Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley JA Be Entrepreneurial program’s Quick Pitch Competition, with winners being recognized at the May Canfield Local Schools board meeting on May 18. Winners included, from left, Best Pitch winners Ryan Teminsky and Tyler Lantz, and Best Product winners Anthony Longo, Alyssa Cross and Lauren Slanker. Missing from photo is Pat Colonna.
By ABBY SLANKER
After Canfield High School students in Sherry Creighton’s Introduction to Business course completed their Shark Tank presentations on Jan. 8, Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley offered them another competition to pitch their products. During the course, the students had been learning about entrepreneurship through the Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley JA Be Entrepreneurial program.
The Junior Achievement Quick Pitch Competition, in which the students “Pitch it to Win it,” was open to all students in the course and gave the students a chance to make a one-minute video to pitch their product. The videos were then posted online where they could be viewed and viewers could vote for their favorite.
Students competed for the Best Product Idea and Best Pitch. When the final votes were tallied, the Best Product Idea went to the Easy Strainer, pitched by Anthony Longo, Alyssa Cross and Lauren Slanker. The Best Video Pitch Presentation went to the Can Closer, pitched by Ryan Teminsky, Tyler Lantz and Pat Colonna.
The students were recognized at the monthly Canfield Local Schools Board Meeting on May 18. Michele Merkel, president of Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley, was also on hand to congratulate the students and present them with their winnings.
“The goal of the Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley JA Be Entrepreneurial is to teach through experience. Our program gives them the knowledge of the skills they need to be successful in business. It is a partnership with educators where everyone benefits,” Merkel said.
Members of the School Board also joined Merkel and Creighton in recognizing Kaci Carpenter and Rick Salmen for their work with the Canfield High School’s Cardinal Caf . With money raised from a donation from Grange Insurance, the caf , which has a physical location in the high school, was able to buy a coffee machine, table-top refrigerator, grinder, a chest freezer and a Square System for their iPad to be able to accept Apple Pay and credit cards.
“It’s amazing how far the Cardinal Caf has come. The students have been very involved and are excited to see where the caf is today. They have done a wonderful job,” Creighton said.
The JA Be Entrepreneurial program introduces students to the essential elements of a practical business plan and challenges them to start an entrepreneurial venture while still in high school. Students learn about advertising, competitive advantages, financing, marketing and product development with local business mentors teaching the Junior Achievement lessons.