Rainbow District School Board congratulates Entrepreneurship Fair winners

A number of students from Rainbow Schools captured top honours at the 15th Annual Northern Ontario Visions Project Tradeshow presented by Rainbow District School Board, the Learning Initiative and the Regional Business Centre on Thursday, June 2, 2011. Some 60 young entrepreneurs gathered at the Southridge Mall to present and promote their innovative businesses.

Tradeshow participants were vying for a number of awards – Best Business Plan, Best Product, Best Service and Best Presentation.  The young entrepreneurs also voted amongst themselves for who should receive the coveted "Young Entrepreneur Award”. A panel of judges from the business community evaluated the displays. As part of the evaluation, judges looked at how effectively students presented their products and/or services.

And the winners are….

Best Business Plan

1st place – A-MAZE-ing

Brian Hawkins, Churchill Public School

2nd place – Sweet Dreams Dream Catchers

Sun-Jung Nam and Gillian Maskell, MacLeod Public School

3rd place – Oobleck Factory

Shozab Ahmed and Abdullah Masood, MacLeod Public School

Best Product

1st place – Keen Magazine

Victoria Dominick, Markstay Public School

2nd place – Baker Boyz

Duncan Stewart and Ryan Allick, MacLeod Public School

3rd place (tie) – Juggling Balls

Simon Berryman and Arash Pour-Ahmadi, MacLeod Public School

3rd place (tie) – T & N Footbags

Teddy Lamarche and Nathan Werbiski, Lansdowne Public School

Best Service

1st place – Vanya Tattoos

Aubrey Charron, Larchwood Public School

2nd place – A&E Nails

Annalyse Broumpton and Emily Cranston, MacLeod Public School

Best Presentation

1st place – Baker Boyz

Duncan Stewart and Ryan Allick, MacLeod Public School

2nd place – Twinkey Chains

Angelica Rumball and Gabriella Rumball, Carl A. Nesbitt Public School

3rd place – Oobleck Factory

Shozab Ahmed and Abdullah Masood, MacLeod Public School

Young Entrepreneur Award

1st place – Ruff House

Marzia Giommi and Julia Cormack, Copper Cliff Public School

2nd place – Lucky C Charms

Samantha Chan, Carl A. Nesbitt Public School

3rd place – Gigabyte Trinkets

Cassandra Caron and Briana Goulet, Larchwood Public School

The businesses showcased were as varied as the students’ imaginations, resulting in a spectacular display of creativity and innovation. "The Northern Ontario Visions Project Tradeshow gave students in Grades 6, 7 and 8 an opportunity to experience what it’s like to be an entrepreneur by creating and running a business," said Ron Hodkinson, Chair of the Visions Committee that organizes the annual event on behalf of Rainbow District School Board.  "Students developed and implemented business plans," he added.  "In the process, they learned all about marketing, including products, pricing, placement and promotion."

The tradeshow is a culminating event for students who have completed entrepreneurship units or participated in school fairs. Participating schools included Carl A. Nesbitt Public School, Churchill Public School, Copper Cliff Public School, Lansdowne Public School, Larchwood Public School, Lively District Secondary School, MacLeod Public School, Markstay Public School and Pinecrest Public School.

The tradeshow provides an authentic learning experience for students, bringing the classroom curriculum to life in a dynamic way. Students learn about math through sales taxes, discounts and financial statements. They also create graphs as part of their market research.

From a language perspective, students gain oral and written communications skills by speaking with the public, selling their products and services, creating professional business plans, and developing business cards, websites, brochures and other promotional material. Students also get to hone their artistic skills by creating visually pleasing displays that will attract customers.

Comprised of representatives from business and industry, the Visions Steering Committee was formed in 1996 to develop an entrepreneurship unit for teachers and students in Rainbow Schools.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,

Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,

Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.