High School Junior a Winner in Touro Entrepreneur of the Year Contest
Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School junior Joseph Benun finished in second place in Touro College’s Gryfe-Levy Student Entrepreneur of the Year Contest. As part of the contest, students from metropolitan yeshivahs prepared detailed business plans for an original product or service.
Twenty-eight entries from eight different schools were submitted. Out of that group, five finalists were chosen. Each of the five finalists presented their plan to a board of judges comprised of seasoned investors and financial experts. Eight minutes of the presentation were devoted to a thorough explanation of the plan, followed by 12 minutes of rigorous questions from the judges. Joseph’s plan for “The Veggie Bar” involved a chain of innovative, inexpensive fast food health restaurants.
Four other proposals from the YOF Investment Club were submitted as well. With help from Faculty Advisor Rabbi Joseph Beyda and YOF Board Member Eli M. Dweck, Joseph wowed the judges and earned a cash prize of $1,000.
YOF College Bowl Rises to The Challenge
The Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School College Bowl academic team were invited recently to compete in The Challenge” produced by Cablevision/News 12, and did a great job.
Cablevision describes the competition as a quiz show with teams made up of the best and brightest local high school students from the tri-state area who compete for a grand prize of $10,000 based on their knowledge of history, math, science, arts and literature.
The only yeshivah on the show, the Flatbush team faced some stiff competition from 32 other schools contending to be the best in Brooklyn. The team, made up of seniors Margaret Piraino, Elie Weintraub, David Hartman and team captain Ethan Malamed, and led by faculty advisor Dr. Joanne Bernstein, breezed through round one and blew away James Madison High School in Round Two with an impressive score of 370 to 245. They advanced to round three, where they lost in the Brooklyn semi-finals, in a very close game, with each team gaining the temporary lead before the opposing team grabbed the victory in the last round.
Supporting them in the studio audience was an enthusiastic YOF cheering squad, who, on the way home from the show, could not stop talking about how impressed they were with some of the answers the team came up with. Watching the show, which aired on News 12 on March 21, viewers were equally impressed. Even though the team did not make it all the way to the Brooklyn finals, they returned to school with the admiration of their peers. Episodes of The Challenge can be viewed online at: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1488655165.
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Annie Lubin is a freelance writer.
