MDY High School Discovers Future Tycoons

Remember squirming to get comfortable in a classroom chair fitted with a side arm for writing? Squirm no more, thanks to a “Smart Cushion” that easily attaches to the seat. Ever struggle to get a backpack on over a jacket?  Piece of cake now, thanks to the all-in-one JackPack. Ever watch a roof being shingled and wonder if there was a faster way to get the job done? Roll-A-Roof cuts time and saves money. But don’t look for these products in a local store just yet.  These winning ideas were developed by students in Magen David Yeshivah Celia Esses High School’s tenth grade Entrepreneurship Program, which culminates in a business contest.

Third place in this year’s competition was awarded to Stella Sedaka and Lorry Louzia, for “Smart Cushion,” which attaches to the sidebar of a desk to provide more comfortable seating.  Second place went to Victoria Zalta and Lorraine Franco, for JackPack, a backpack attached to a jacket.  The judges selected Judy Chalouh as this year’s winner, for Roll-A-Roof, which eases the laying of roof shingles by applying them in a roll rather than individually.

In the first phase of the program, all students in the grade are coached in the two classes each week on the ideas and principles of business, discussing a wide range of topics such as marketing research, competitive advantage, and the different types of businesses. Each topic is reviewed in class, broken down into subcategories, and discussed and examined comprehensively.

What risks are associated with starting a business? How does one gain advantage over a competitor in business? How do you perform a break-even analysis? These are just some of the questions considered.

These business basics lessons prepare students for the second stage of the entrepreneurship program, the business contest, where a student or group of students develops a novel product.  After the concept is approved by the class instructors — Mr. Joe Naftaly, Entrepreneurship Program and History instructor, and Mr. Daniel Kamelhar, Entrepreneurship Program and Computer instructor — the individual or team prepares a PowerPoint describing the product and its function, as well as how it would be advertised. An accompanying business plan details the estimated cost for manufacture, potential product price, and yearly corporate expenses. Each group was also tasked with creating a commercial to showcase its product.

Finalists selected by the entrepreneurship instructors expand on their original PowerPoint, adding information about the projected start-up investment required, an analysis of product market, and the sales rationale behind the product.

This year’s finalists presented their projects to a panel of judges that included Dr. Abe Tawil, CUNY’s Small Business Management instructor and consultant to MDYHS; Dr. Edward Rogoff, Professor of Management and Academic Director, Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business at Baruch College; and Mr. Irwin Dayan, executive director of the Sephardic Angel Fund. The group made its decisions based on the product concept, the presentation, the overall organization, and the competence of the business plan.

At the Sixth Annual Entrepreneurship Dinner held at the end of May, seven groups of finalists exhibited their business ideas and plans to the school administration and their tenth grade classmates.  Finalists’ parents also were invited to the program, where the judge’s three top selections were revealed. The evening served as a fitting culmination for the knowledge gained throughout the year in the entrepreneurship program, as well as the hard work and extra hours put in by the dedicated students, especially the finalists.

Stay tuned next spring for the winners of the seventh annual tenth grade entrepreneurship program at Magen David Yeshivah Celia Esses High School! And keep checking local stores for these innovative products…..