Our entrepreneuers of tomorrow are showcasing their skills to someday take on the real world.
Twenty-eight Westmoreland Jr./Sr. High School students competed in the annual Junior Achievement Entrepreneurial Youth Summit at The Hartford, an insurance company in New Hartford, on November 7. 
Junior Achievement is the largest nonprofit in the United States dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures and make smart academic and economic choices. Its purpose is to “inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.”
The Hartford is one of hundreds of organizations across the country that voluntarily hold youth summits, which are designed to help students draw on their skills and creativity, unlock their entrepreneurial potential and plant the seeds for future entrepreneurial thinking.
At the Junior Achievement Entrepreneurial Youth Summit at The Hartford, Westmoreland students, along with students from Rome Free Academy (RFA), worked in small “incubators” throughout the day to develop a product idea. They were mentored by employees from The Hartford. Eventually, they “pitched” their ideas to a panel, who ultimately selected three winners - - first, second and third place.
Senior Calvin Hooper, who plans on attending Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio next fall to major in athletic training or physical education, participated in the summit for the third consecutive year. However, he was part of the winning group for the first time.
“I love going, competing and working with classmates I don’t always have the chance to work with to come up with a product and present it to a group of professionals who have so much business experience,” Hooper, who also has an interest in business and entrepreneurship, said. “To be able to do this in a couple of hours… it’s a good feeling and accomplishment.”
In addition to testing their entrepreneurial creativity, Mrs. Weissenberger, Business and Technology teacher at the Westmoreland Central School District, says the summit teaches students what it takes to be successful in the world outside of school.
“Students are able to learn workplace skills required to gain employment, develop interpersonal and cooperation skills, establish positive relationships with other students from another school district and find out what it takes to lead,” Weissenberger said.
Five teams from Westmoreland and four teams from RFA each developed and pitched a product idea. Westmoreland teams finished in first and second place for their products, “Sip Safely” and “Safety Shield.” An RFA team finished in third place.
Students on the top three teams went home with a prize. Every student on the first place team received a 7th Generation Apple i-Pad; every student on the second place team received an Apple HomePod (speaker system); and every student on the third place team received Bluetooth headphones.