W.T. CLARKE STUDENTS WIN NEW YORK BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

W.T. Clarke High School receives top prize in teen business plan competition for the third year in a row.

On June 2, Westbury's W.T. Clarke High School students claimed first prize for the third year in a row in the annual Junior Achievement (JA) of New York Business Plan Competition, held this year at the NASDAQ Market Site in Times Square. Team WizarDry's idea was selected out of a pool of 185 business plans submitted by high schools throughout the New York City area. Bronx Science High School's Team Caboost came in second place and Long Island City's Newcomers High School received third place honors.

The winning teams competed against more than 900 high school students in an eight-week, classroom-based business-plan-writing boot camp coached by corporate volunteers from NYC's leading financial and corporate institutions. The final teams survived several rounds of competition requiring them to successfully pitch their winning business ideas to seasoned business executives and entrepreneurs.

Team WizarDry, including students Arjan Singh, Alexandra Knorr, Jelyssa Fuertes, and Michelle Colvin (pictured above), conceived a winning idea to develop and market a high-tech, waterproof cell phone case. The case, constructed from a fabric invented by the British during World War II to keep pilots alive if they got shot down in the sea (now used to make fire hoses and high-end hiking gear), is meant to prevent mobile devices from suffering long-term water damage and/or system failure. The team ultimately won over the panel of judges with its polished presentation style, attention to details, and solid marketing strategy

Team member Jelyssa Fuertes follows in the footsteps of her big sister Shannon, who was a member of the student business plan team that started W.T. Clarke's three-year winning trend two years ago.

Members of the winning team were awarded a cash prize of $3000 each, iPhones courtesy of AT&T, and a trophy for their school. They were also invited to participate in the NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell Ceremony-along with the second and third place teams-in recognition of their achievement.

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