Fifth Graders Win UNLV Scholarships through Junior Achievement New Business ContestLocal Fifth Graders Compete in “Shark Tank” Style New Business Competition for Scholarships-- The Super Cane team from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School wins first prize -- -- More than $255,000 raised for Junior Achievement -- Fifth graders charmed and impressed judges and more than 600 local business professionals and community leaders with their new product presentations to earn $20,000 in UNLV scholarships during a Shark Tank-style competition and luncheon. The Super Cane from the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School team won with a multipurpose cane that helps users with mobility issues and other tasks. The culmination of a six-week youth entrepreneurial program of Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada (JASN) was the Swimming With The Big Fish luncheon where the finalist teams from Fay Herron, Martin Luther King Jr. and Gene Ward Elementary Schools presented their business plans. The event, presented by PNC Bank and hosted by Horseshoe Las Vegas, also coincides with April’s designation as National Financial Literacy Month. The Martin Luther King Jr. Super Cane team included Liam Gutierrez, Julian Liborio, Alessandra Rubio and Austin Taylor. They are splitting the $9,000 UNLV scholarship first place prize with each student receiving $2,250. The Grocery Holder team from Fay Herron Elementary School placed second. This product helps users carry multiple bags from grocery stores and other retail purchases while eliminating blood circulation issues. Team members Geremy Delgado Anguiano, Miah Gonzalez, Oliver Lopez-Baltazar and Arleth Mendez are splitting the $6,500 UNLV scholarship second prize. Each student will receive $1,625. Third place was awarded to the Gene Ward Elementary School team for Gum Away, a brush with attachments designed to remove gum from any surface. Team members James Doll, Bella Freeman, Matthew Torres and Brianna Zulueta-Moreno are splitting the $4,500 UNLV scholarship third place prize. Each will receive $1,125. “It’s always enlightening to see what types of products fifth graders come up that fill needs based on their own situations and surroundings and the development of their critical thinking skills,” said Michelle Jackson, JASN president and CEO. “This year’s event was no exception, and we are grateful to the many partners and attendees who made it a success, allowing more schools and students to participate and continuing and growing financial literacy, entrepreneurship and career readiness programming.” More $255,000 was raised for the nonprofit Junior Achievement during Swimming With The Big Fish. New components this year were a silent auction, sponsored by Venetian Las Vegas and Dennis and Carol Troesh, and post event VIP reception, sponsored by Dollar Loan Center. Event keynote speaker Danny Koker, owner and face of Count’s Kustoms in Las Vegas and known for his Counting Cars show, stressed the importance of teamwork. He also was the VIP event host. Connie Brennan, publisher and CEO of Nevada Business Magazine, was the event’s honorary chair. “PNC is proud to partner again with Junior Achievement for this year’s Swimming with the Big Fish luncheon,” said Denette Suddeth, PNC regional president and head of Commercial Banking for Nevada. “We know that events like this help students achieve their full potential in school and in life. Supporting JA and this luncheon are great investments in our community.” This year, Martin Luther King Jr. and Gene Ward Elementary Schools joined Fay Herron, whose students participated in the competition in prior years. There were 24 teams each from Fay Herron and Gene Ward and 13 teams from Martin Luther King Jr. School sponsors were Hirschi Companies, Southwest Airlines and U.S. Bank, respectively. UNLV sponsored the student scholarships, increasing its contribution from $15,000 to $20,000. Junior Achievement staff, teachers and volunteers from the business community guided 254 fifth graders through the JA: It’s My Business! lessons to create a business from the ground up. Students were separated into 61 teams based on interests and developed their ideas for a business beneficial to the community with companion business and marketing plans. Teams presented their plans in preliminary competitions with the top team from each school advancing to the Swimming With The Big Fish finals. Following the presentations, judges asked the teams questions about their products’ marketing, distribution, promotion and design, and lauded their efforts and merits of each product and plan. The judges were Chuck Brennan, founder and CEO, Dollar Loan Center; Magda Hirsch, vice president, Client and Community Relations, PNC Bank; Ken Ostempowski, senior vice president and general manager, Caesars Entertainment; and Connie Brennan, publisher/CEO, Nevada Business Magazine. In addition to the student competition, Swimming With The Big Fish provides a meaningful and entertaining way to particularly engage the business community with JASN, as business professionals are vital to the success of JA financial literacy programs through their experience, volunteerism, partnership and sponsorship. JASN works with schools to provide K-12 students and young adults with needed financial, business and career curriculum that schools don’t always have the resources to provide, and many students do not learn at home. Lessons help many students become financially secure adults, breaking the cycle of generational and situational poverty. Junior Achievement also hopes to boost graduation rates by giving students a business idea and pathway to look forward to after high school. According to research, 91% of students who attended a JA program reported it “motivated them to learn”. “This indicates that once students experience Junior Achievement, they more clearly understand how learning and doing well in the classroom has a direct impact on ‘real life’ and real money,” said Jackson. For more information about volunteering or partnering with Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada, visit www.jasnv.org or call 702-214-0500. About Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada Founded locally in 1996, Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada, Inc. is dedicated to providing financial education to K-12 students and young adults with a curriculum including wants vs. needs, budget management to economic principals, workforce skills, credit and entrepreneurship. The completion of the new 40,000-square-foot Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada Inspiration Center will allow the nonprofit organization to impact more than 60,000 local youth. It is now the permanent site for capstone programs, Betty’s JA BizTown and JA Finance Park. Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada’s financial literacy mission is accomplished with the support of 285 businesses and 6,800 business role models, who help youth learn about the “business of life,” by helping bridge the gap between what youth learn in school and the real world. For more information visit https://jasnv.org/ and follow on Instagram and Facebook. Link: http://www.jasnv.org/ Submitted: 04/14/25 Article By: not specified |