SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS

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April 25, 2024

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here. 

Students in this semester's entrepreneurship and marketing class presented this week in a Notre Dame Prep version of the popular TV series, "Shark Tank."

One of Notre Dame Prep's many interesting and innovative courses in its upper school is entrepreneurship and marketing, a one-semester class taught this year by Christian Mansour. The class introduces juniors and seniors to the many facets of business, including human resources, management, accounting, advertising, and sales and marketing. In addition, students learn the basics of starting and running their own successful small business.

Mansour decided this year to introduce a "Shark Tank"-like experience for the class. Shark Tank, as most of us know, is a popular TV series that features entrepreneurs making business presentations to venture capitalists called "sharks" on the program who then decide whether to invest in their companies.

"In the class, students are coming up with an invention of their own creation and writing a comprehensive business plan throughout the semester," said Mansour, who also teaches business, computers and eighth grade health and PE. "Their final exam is to pitch their invention and business 'Shark-Tank'-style."

On Wednesday, April 24, the following students in this semester's class presented in front of a panel of volunteer "sharks" in the St. Peter Chanel Library. Their projects are below.

Connor Brewer
Senior
Business Name: AHC Hockey 
Business Concept: Revolutionize the comfort and safety of hockey equipment
Next steps: Create a prototype

Michael Khouri
Junior 
Business Name: Fast Math
Business Concept: A four-in-one calculator that combines standard calculator features, graphing components, a formula glossary with solving capabilities, and a math-specific AI engine. 
Next steps: Learn more about coding and app development in order to bring the vision to fruition. 

Pierce Marchese
Senior 
Business Name: beginvesting
Business Concept: A one-stop-shop website to help people begin investing
Next steps: Progress my business by formatting the unfinished code to the rest of the website. He will also research how to make his business more profitable and scalable. 

AJ Valentine
Junior
Business Name: WhaleTape
Business Concept: Heated athletic tape
Next steps: Work on production and start to market it

Will Hensler
Senior 
Business Name: VisionSpritz
Description of Business: A new way to clean your car's reverse camera with the press of a button.
Next Steps: Create a website

 

 

 

 

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.