High School Shark Tank Holds Water for Future Entrepreneurs

Sometimes as a high school principal, it is easy to stand at the back of a classroom and feel like a character in a Walter Mitty skit.  Rather than be something you are not, the opposite actually occurs.  You stand there and imagine what the possibilities could have been had you the same opportunities as your students.
This week, I stood in the back of Ms. Oletha Rhinehart's classroom and listened to Dean Gary Muller and Jeff Neuville from Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) present to our high school students in business classes at Bunker Hill High School.  The presentation consisted of information related to opportunities at CVCC, the importance of the Small Business Center,  information related to getting involved with a Shark Tank contest, and finally the importance of putting a business plan together.

CVCC is a major partner with Bunker Hill High School and with other high schools in our area.  Through this partnership, students have exposure to numerous opportunities such as those presented in our business classes as well as the those related to the College and Career Promise Program where students can earn both high school and college credit.


The presentation by Mr. Neuville and Dean Gary Muller highlighted the upcoming 2017 Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour being held on Thursday, April 6, 2017, from 11 am to 1 pm on the campus of CVCC as well as a promotion for the 2017 High School Shark Tank Competition.  As a school principal, we are encouraging our students in our business classes to get involved in this competition.  Young entrepreneurs are crucial to our rapidly changing economy and the future of our region.





In a 2016 article in Forbes, author Alex Amari wrote:

Entrepreneurship has long propelled the American economy. Startup activity represents one of the highest correlations with strong economic performance. New businesses account for nearly all new net job creation and 20 percent of gross jobs created, accounting for roughly 1.5 million jobs per year in the United States over the past three decades. And these new businesses are particularly important in times of economic uncertainty and comparative stagnation in GDP growth: Between 2006 and 2009, young firms remained a net positive source of employment growth, whereas older and larger firms shed more jobs than they created.

Based on Amari's article, exposing high school students to entrepreneurship and activities such as the Shark Tank Competition at CVCC are crucial to our economic futures.  I want to thank our leaders in Catawba County and the business community for supporting such endeavors.  The partnerships we have can only make us stronger.

Electronic References:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2016/10/25/young-entrepreneurs/#3145f29d3953

https://www.bls.gov/bdm/entrepreneurship/entrepreneurship.htm

Written by:

Dr. Jeff Isenhour  @JeffIsenhour

Bunker Hill High School Principal

Contact Dr. Isenhour on Twitter @JeffIsenhour

Contact Dr. Isenhour by email Jeffrey_Isenhour@catawbaschools.net

March 15, 2017