The Advanced Entrepreneurship class offered through the school’s Business department and is currently aimed at teaching students the fundamentals of bushiness ownership. So, when Advanced Entrepreneurship teacher Mrs. Bolling and Distributive Education Clubs of America (D.E.C.A) sponsor Mr. Ruddock had the opportunity for their students to participate in the city-wide Junior Achievement Spark Tank event, they jumped at the idea.

“This class is great because it gives kids a real world experience with a safety net before they venture out on their own,” Bolling said.

The Spark Tank event itself is much like TV’s the “Shark Tank”, where business-minded individuals pitch their ideas to local entrepreneurs in hopes of receiving start-up capital. One of these student groups created First Flight Food.  The idea behind First Flight Food was to create a business in the form of a food delivery service for teachers. Their motto embodies the goal and business model of delivery of “food at the speed of flight.”

Prior to the Spark Tank event, students are broken into teams within the class and are asked to collaborate to create a business. Each business then works with an experienced entrepreneur to help the new businesses become successful. After students create a business plan and perfect it, they compete in the Spark Tank event to present their plan in front of investors with the chance to allow these new businesses to flourish. However, not everyone receives money for their business and only the top two will receive funding.

Seniors Henry Smith, Finley Legg, Steven Gershen, Mikah Feurhahn, Jack Mayo, and Ethan Frayne collaborated to create the Flight Food business. Starting in January, teachers will be offered the opportunity to purchase “cheaper” food without having to bring it from home or buy it from the cafeteria. 

Teachers will  also be able to choose from multiple food establishments such as Bagel Baker, Tropical Smoothie, YNot pizza, etc.  A 20 percent base delivery will be added to all orders and all food will be delivered during first blocks and One Lunch. 

“Flight Food is a business that fills a niche no other business can in the school system,” Gershen said.