Huntington High School’s new Virtual Enterprise course is off to a sensational start. A sleek classroom equipped with everything students new to create a business plan for a start-up is at their fingertips.
The new full-year, one credit business course is available to juniors and seniors. “Virtual Enterprise is a simulated business that is set-up and run by students to prepare them for working in a real business environment,” according to the high school’s course bulletin.
Participants learn about all the factors that impact business operations in a free enterprise system. “Students study supply and demand, the Federal Reserve System, taxation by local, state and federal governments, business organizations, the stock market and international transactions,” states the course bulletin. “The students determine the nature of their business, its products and services, its management and structure and learn the daily operations of a business under the guidance of a consultant with the support of a real business partner. They use current business software packages and the internet for business transactions using economics as a factor.”
Huntington teachers Paige Tyree Furman and Suzie Biagi lead the course. “Suzie and I have selected the ‘executives’ that will be running our new Virtual Enterprise classes this year,” Mrs. Furman said. “The CEOs worked incredibly hard and interviewed with both Principal Brenden Cusack and Superintendent Jim Polansky before landing the position. After they were selected as CEO, they conducted interviews with their classmates to fill all other executive positions. The students were remarkably professional. We’re confident both firms will see a lot of success this year.”
The executives for Mrs. Furman’s class include John Panos (chief executive officer), Yady Acevedo (chief operating officer), Emerson Forbes (vice president-administration), Graham Young (chief financial officer), Riva Bergman (vice president-design/IT), Matthew Girimonti (vice president-marketing) and Madelyn Reed (vice president-human resources).
The executives for Mrs. Biagi’s class include Ethan Mulroy (chief executive officer), Lena Annunziata (chief operating officer), Chas Forte (vice president-administration), Cameron Mills (chief financial officer), Jonathan Munoz (vice-president-design/IT), Lia Shechter (vice president-marketing) and Luke Farrell (vice-president-human resources).
The course culminates with events that include competitive trade shows and business summits, where students vie against other firms created by high school students from across the world. “This is a challenging, collaborative, hands-on, real-world course for future entrepreneurs and those interested in the business world,” according to the course bulletin.
