Each spring, HISD students from across the district participate in Lemonade Day activities, which is about much more than just selling lemonade. This was evident at Revere Middle School last week, where judges from Spark Energy listened to nearly two dozen students, who presented their plans for small businesses selling lemonade and other snacks.
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“I have wanted to be a business owner since I was a little boy,” said student Seth Barnes, who looked very businesslike in a gray suit. “Someday, I would like to see my name on a billboard.”
The second annual Revere competition was called “Spark Tank Pitch-It Day,” a takeoff on “Shark Tank,” a reality TV show that features business investors (“sharks”) listening to pitches from small business owners seeking investors. The HISD event was changed to “Spark Tank” to honor the judges.
Participants were eighth-grade magnet students enrolled in an entrepreneurship class at Revere, a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) magnet school. They showcased their business plans in an attempt to convince the Spark judges to invest in their enterprises. Events like this prepare students for actual Lemonade Day competition, which is May 3, 2015, this year.
“Lemonade Day is a fun, experiential program that teaches kids how to start, own, and operate their own lemonade stand,” said Lemonade Day Associate Director Gabrielle Gunn. “We teach them everything from budgeting to advertising, including how to find a site for the lemonade stand and how to find an investor, so that one day, they will be empowered to start their own business.”
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