[Newark, NJ – May 23, 2017] NPS students from five schools recently competed in GlassRoots’ 13th Annual Business Plan Competition. The students hail from Arts, East Side, and Science Park High Schools. All of the students spent the last academic year creating their own glass art and an accompanying business plan for marketing and selling their one-of-a-kind pieces. Both the art and the plan were showcased at GlassRoots’ Business Plan Competition and Trade Fair, recently held at the newly renovated Hahne & Co Building in Newark.

NPS Superintendent of Schools Chris Cerf said, “Students participating in the GlassRoots’ competition have through this program learned two important life lessons; first, that a product, regardless of how good it is, must be marketed to the consumer and secondly, by developing a business plan to market their glass art, they now understand the importance of sound business practices.”

GlassRoots is a non-profit organization located in the downtown arts district of Newark that provides artistic and life skills training to Newark area youth, ages 10 to 18, by engaging them in the creation of glass art and the development of business and entrepreneurship skills.

The GlassRoots FLAME and Business & Entrepreneurship Programs dedicated to nurturing and guiding the entrepreneurial spirit, are modeled after the curriculum from the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an international non-profit organization that introduces youth to the world of entrepreneurship. High School students from the Greater Newark area begin their journeys as entrepreneurs during 65 hours of class time focusing on how to plan, prepare, market and manage a business. In the Business and Entrepreneurship program, they then create products in one of GlassRoots’ glass art studios. The FLAME Program students take a slightly different path, working cooperatively to design and create products to represent GlassRoots, and their competition was based on designs and business models. Both programs culminated in this business competition and trade fair, at which the students’ products were available for purchase.

“Entrepreneurship education benefits students from all socioeconomic backgrounds because it teaches kids to think outside the box and nurtures unconventional talents and skills,” said Barbara Heisler, Executive Director. “Through our entrepreneurship programs, our students learn organizational skills, including time management, leadership development and interpersonal skills, which prepares them for additional education and give them an edge with highly transferable skills sought by employers.”

NPS students participating in the Business and Entrepreneurship program are listed below:

  • Yaneline Maldonado, Science Park High School
  • Natavia Williams, Arts High School
  • Tyshea Johnson-Brandon, Science Park High School

NPS Students participating in the FLAME Competition hail from East Side High School:

  • Deyvi Colon
  • Christopher Cordova
  • Oscar Fernandez
  • Stephanie Gregorio
  • David Martinez
  • Katherine Martinez
  • Stephanie Martins
  • Desteny Noel
  • Bhratt Quinones