Enterprise Olympics 2010

The YMCA-YWCA of Northeast Avalon is pleased to announce the names of the provincial award winners in the 9th Annual Create a Logo Competition and the 10th Market Your Thoughts Essay Competition. The competitions involve students from grades 4-9. Students are asked to identify business opportunities that they believe could work in their community, their region, or anywhere in Newfoundland and Labrador. This year the YMCA-YWCA of Northeast Avalon received over 1,200 entries from elementary and intermediate students throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. The YMCA-YWCA of Northeast Avalon have distributed over $8,000 in prize money and over $3,000 in prizes to hundreds of winning students around the province. Many thanks to the students and teachers who participated as well as to the judges that generously gave of their time in this year’s competitions.

Provincial winners in each competition receive $100 for their business idea.

Create A Logo winners at the grade 4-6 level include:

1. Sophia Burke: The Needle of Life Grade 4
   St. Peter's Elementary, Mount Pearl
   
   
2. Briana Bugden: Edible Art Grade 5
   St. Peter's Elementary, Mount Pearl
   
   
3. Kristen Dooley: Soul Sisters
   Grade 6, Millcrest Academy, Grand Falls-Windsor

Market Your Thoughts winners at the grade 7-9 level include:

1. Sonali Verma: Candle Carving
   Grade 9, Stephenville High, Stephenville
   
   
2. John Morgan: Cantabile
   Grade 9, Stephenville High, Stephenville
   
   
3. Donovan Conran: Donovan's Music
   Grade 9, Stephenville High, Stephenville
   
   
4. Lauren Newell: Chocolate Fix
   Grade 9, Stephenville High, Stephenville
   
   
5. Sam Druggett: Create-A-Card
   Grade 9, Stephenville High, Stephenville
   
   
   

In addition to these provincial winners, Millcrest Academy in Grand Falls-Windsor was named School of the Year for the Create a Logo competition for the third year in a row! Stephenville High in Stephenville and St. Paul’s Intermediate in Gander tied for School of the Year for the Market Your Thoughts competition. This was Stephenville High’s third year to win this distinction. Each school will receive a monetary bonus for being the schools that submitted the highest number of student entries in each competition. All monetary awards are provided by Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union, the sole corporate sponsor for these competitions.

The YMCA-YWCA of Northeast Avalon is also announcing that the 16th Annual Enterprise Olympics Conference took place at Mount Peyton Hotel in Grand Falls- Windsor from May 27th-30th. This competition is a weekend-long event consisting of a Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union Showcase Competition and a Business Plan Competition. 32 high school students and 6 teachers, representing all school districts, were in attendance. This YMCA-YWCA of Northeast Avalon annual event is sponsored by ACOA, Service Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union and the Department of Education.

There were 3 winners in the Showcase Competition and 3 winners in the Business Plan Competition. 1st place winners received $1,000, 2nd place winners received $600 and 3rd place winners received $400. The monetary prizes for both competitions are all provided by the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union, our sole corporate sponsor.

Newfoundland & Labrador Credit Union Showcase Competition Winners:

1st place:
Cody Higgins - Superior Monument Refurbishing
Lewisporte Collegiate, Lewisporte

2nd place:
Steven Pilgrim - Cribbage Creations
Eric G. Lambert School, Churchill Falls

3rd place:
Victoria Morgan - Sparkle Designs
Gonzaga High School, St. John's

Newfoundland & Labrador Credit Union Business Plan Competition Winners:

1st place:
Rebecca Hollett – Juniper Juice
Holy Heart High School, St. John's

2nd place:
Cody Higgins - Superior Monument Refurbishing
Lewisporte Collegiate, Lewisporte

3rd place:
Jessica Stuckey - Wild Wilderness Excursions
Lewisporte Collegiate, Lewisporte

The 32 participants of Enterprise Olympics 2010 were from high schools across
Newfoundland & Labrador:

Ascension Collegiate, Bay Roberts
Kyle Richards
Nicole Gibson

Booth Memorial, St. John’s
Stephanie Beck

Corner Brook Regional High, Corner Brook
Evan Marks & Ryan Stride
Nathan Ash
Janice Abbott & Rebecca Costello
Erica Taylor
Megan Byrne
Stephen Connolly

Eric G. Lambert, Churchill Falls
Stephanie Fowler & Felicia Edmunds
Steven Pilgrim

Gonzaga High, St. John’s
Victoria Morgan
Olivia Manning & Maris Miller
Andrea Williams

Holy Cross All Grade, Daniel’s Harbour
Jordon Collett

Holy Heart High, St. John’s
Rebecca Hollett
Stephanie Donavon & Jameila Ali

Holy Spirit High, Manuels
Danielle O'Driscoll

Holy Trinity High, Torbay
Joey Kavanagh
Spencer Langmead

Lewisporte Collegiate, Lewisporte
Cody Higgins
Tyler Owens
Jessica Stuckey

Marystown High, Marystown
Michael Hollett
Trevor James Dobbin
Robert Shea

Prince of Wales Collegiate, St. John’s
Ross McLean

At the 2010 Enterprise Olympics Conference, the students had the opportunity to take part in many different learning opportunities. Don Oakley from DPO/On Hold Communications guided the student’s creative side in creating their own television commercial for the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union from initial idea to fully taped and edited commercial.

The students had the opportunity to meet Scott Oldford, an 18 year old entrepreneur from Grand Falls – Windsor. Scott has his own web development and design company, Essential Coding. Students at the conference had an opportunity to ask Scott questions about his experiences with starting his own business and to learn more about the challenges and opportunities involved from a peer’s perspective.

Youth Ventures presented the students with the opportunity to continue their business into the summer months. As well, coordinators Adam Hiscock and Mike Hunter encouraged the students to join their local Youth Ventures programs and to keep their enterprise idea going. They stressed the point that you are never too young to start and be successful at your own business.

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Memorial were part of the Enterprise Olympics conference again this year. Matthew Fox, Kaitlin Smith and Jacob Pratt from SIFE Memorial presented the opportunities available as a member of SIFE. SIFE teams aim to develop and implement not-for-profit projects that create economic opportunity to the citizens of their country. SIFE Memorial provides the perfect opportunity for Memorial University students to apply their classroom concepts to the real world, making a real difference. Students were encouraged to join the SIFE Memorial family if they decide to continue their education at Memorial University.

The students were also given a lesson on workplace safety. Ralph Tucker and Leslie Galway from Workplace Health Safety and Compensation Commission explained to the students the dangers that lurk in every type of business and gave great insight as to how they can be avoided. Workplace safety is a topic that is often times neglected by youth, so it was a great topic for the up and coming work force of our province.