On Thursday, April 27, 2023, the Entrepreneurial Energy competition (also known as E Squared) finals were held at the Culpeper Technical Education Center (CTEC). Five teams from Culpeper County High School (CCHS) and Eastern View High School (EVHS) competed for the coveted E Squared championship and $10,000 scholarships for each student on the winning team.
Students prepare for this “Shark Tank-like” competition through the CTE Business/Marketing Management course which is specifically designed for the E Squared competition. The course is taught by Beth Lane at CCHS and David Heatwole at EVHS. The course consists of a semester-long project where students are randomly put into teams, and each team develops a business plan around a product/service of its choice. Local community leaders coach each team as they develop a detailed business plan throughout the semester. Ultimately, the teams present their business plan to a panel of judges also known as “faux venture capitalists.”
The competition began on April 7, 2023 with ten teams competing in a preliminary round, also known as “prelims”. After a day of presentations to the judges, five teams with the highest scores are selected to move on to the final round. Prelim judges, who offered feedback and also asked hard questions to prepare students for the next level, included Benjamin Gregory, Chuck Gyory, Mike Dale, Renard Carlos, Gene Luckinbill, Kelsey Settle, and Sara Morton.
The judges use scoring criteria to rate the written business plans submitted by each team in addition to the team’s in-person presentations. CCHS teacher Beth Lane explained the E Squared experience this year, “This semester of E Squared was an intense journey that began with a gradual ramp up, but eventually moved at full speed ahead. The twists and turns offered valuable insight and experiences for the students, who were given a sense of responsibility through their contact with dedicated, professional business people.”
The winning team this year was called LuxFind and included four CCHS students, Alexsandra De Leon, Jacob Gonzalez, Stephano Harrison Sandoval and Bennett Sutherland. LuxFind created a light that could be used on a mailbox, home, or in a yard that would flash and help first responders find where they were going. LuxFind was the final team of the day to present, which meant that they had to wait all morning in another room while their competitors presented to the judges. The presentation, which was livestreamed and now posted on the CCPS YouTube channel, included a dramatic feature of calling out the importance of every minute when it comes to emergency response times.
When the winning team was announced, each member of LuxFind expressed gratitude to their coaches, Karen Carroll and Raygan Ketterer, their teachers, school administration, and each other. Gonzalez said, “This is unbelievable…I would like to say thank you, for everybody who made this possible.” Harrison Sandoval added, “I don’t even know where to start, I would just like to thank my teachers and my coaches and my teammates…such an amazing experience. Thank you everyone.” After expressing his gratitude, Sutherland said, “I think this is the most beneficial class you can take in high school even though it’s the most stressful every single day.” De Leon echoed Sutherland’s sentiments, saying, “This is all worth it, I mean, I love this class, I hate it, but I love it. It’s a love and hate relationship, it is so stressful, but it’s worth it.” De Leon also thanked the first responders who helped them with their project and concluded her remarks by saying, “We can’t do anything without the first responders.”
In addition to the competition winners, students also have an opportunity to win the Bob Jebson Award. Students who are selected for this award stand out amongst their peers and their coaches believe that they are very likely to succeed in the business world. The Bob Jebson Awardees win their choice of either an $800 scholarship or an iPad. 2023 Bob Jebson Award winners include: Faith Moore, Bennett Sutherland, Elijah Harrington, Cassidy Heflin, Morgan Butler, Jack Flemming, Elise Derby, Rosario, “RJ” Uribe, Bryce Cliette, and Mikayla Woodward.
Reflecting on this year’s E Squared program, Career and Technical Education Director Randi Richards-Lutz said, “We are so grateful to Career Partners, Inc., for sponsoring E Squared. The 10,000-dollar scholarships, which totaled $40,000 this year, and the Bob Jebson scholarships make an enormous difference in the lives of these students. For all of our E2 students, they learn teamwork, critical thinking skills, practical knowledge, public speaking, how to think quickly on their feet, the ins and outs of a business plan and more. This year multiple teams, teachers and coaches gave an enormous effort and went the extra mile to see if our faux venture capitalists would invest in their businesses. This was evident at the Prelims and Finals. I am personally so proud of these students and their supporters. They make us all feel like winners.”
The finals judges for the 2023 competition included Ed Dalrymple, Ray Knott, Sharon Clark, Bruce Clark, Xavier Richardson, and Benjamin Gregory. To learn more about E Squared, this year’s teams, past winners and meet the judges, check out the event program.
CCHS teacher Beth Lane summed it all up by saying, “I'm proud to say that this semester's cohort really stood out for their enthusiasm and commitment, often needing very little prompting or pushing from me. All in all, it resulted in an incredibly rewarding experience for these high schoolers - one they may never forget.”
