Graydon Sealy Secondary shows business savvy to win challenge

The Graydon Sealy Secondary School has emerged victorious in this year’s Enterprise Challenge, clinching the top prize of
$2 000.

The competition, a joint initiative by the Prince’s Trust and the Barbados Youth Business Trust (BYBT), saw the Paddock Road, St Michael institution outshine competitors from Ellerslie Secondary, The Lodge School, and Alexandra School which were second, third, and fourth, respectively.

Business teacher Brian Parris lauded the efforts of his students, all of whom are members of the school’s Business Club. 

He told Barbados TODAY the students successfully transferred their knowledge of business models from the classroom to the competitive marketplace.

“They are already doing their products and services, so why not continue to sell them? We said that once it is a way to promote all aspects of our growth and create the Graydon Sealy brand, then it’s a platform that we could choose,” Parris said.

General Manager of the Barbados Youth Business Trust (BYBT), Cardell Fergusson.

General Manager of the BYBT Cardell Fergusson told Barbados TODAY that under the programme, six intensive sessions were held at secondary schools with the aim of nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs, were conducted. 

She said the students were introduced to a simulated business environment through a game called Pop Up, in which they applied their newly acquired knowledge in real-world scenarios, making strategic decisions about stock purchasing, operating hours, marketing, and cash flow management to turn a profit.

The competition’s structure allowed students to test their business prowess, culminating in a leaderboard that identified the top four teams which advanced to the national finals.

“A mentor was assigned to each school and these mentors would have gone through the business pitch: How do they plan their business? What are some of the problems that they’re going to solve? And how can the school benefit from businesses that they would have created?” Fergusson explained.

The programme ran from September to December last year, ending just before the close of the first school term, and resumed last month.

“The mentors sat and prepared them for [Wednesday’s] challenge. They were to demonstrate not just their business savvy but also the practical application of the skills learned during the programme,” the BYBT head explained. (RG)

Winning students Jaquon Stoute (left) and Kahisha
Gale-Forde share a moment with teacher, Brian Parris.