BHS Class Puts Creative Spin on Entrepreneurship
By Trina Runner on November 23, 2014 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
The old joke goes, “What’s black and white and red all over?”
The answer: a newspaper, of course. But, the Marketing class at Bridgeport High School is finding many more uses for the common item other than just reading it. As part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week Idea Challenge, the students have been given the task of 
developing products that could be helpful around the world, using only newspapers. The international competition requires students to post their creations on YouTube with a short video of how they came up with the product and how it will improve lives around the world. The winners will win $1000 and the opportunity to be honored at the International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida in April.
developing products that could be helpful around the world, using only newspapers. The international competition requires students to post their creations on YouTube with a short video of how they came up with the product and how it will improve lives around the world. The winners will win $1000 and the opportunity to be honored at the International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida in April.
“The challenge is a way to promote innovation and get our creativity flowing,” said BHS Senior and DECA President Haleigh Mardos. “It is part of National DECA Month and we have several activities in store that will encourage students to consider careers in business and entrepreneurship.”
Besides the Idea Challenge, the group also just finished the National DECA Virtual Business Challenge, where they placed first in the state for the second year in a row.
Kohl’s manager, Chris Blythe, participated in this year’s activities, as he spoke to the students about the importance of customer service in business.
“In the changing workforce, it is so important to emphasize the importance of serving the customer with an positive attitude and continuing to develop people skills to create strong customer relations,” said Blythe.
BHS DECA also increased awareness of international businesses that impact West Virginia, as trivia was played each day on the morning announcements. They hosted an interactive global trivia game at this week’s International Fair and showcased success stories of BHS DECA alumni who have created successful businesses.
“It was inspiring to see how many former DECA members now own their own businesses and credit a lot of their success to their participation in DECA,” said Mardos.
