Bob Jones takes first in be-Entreprenurial

MADISON – A four-person team from Bob Jones High School claimed first place in the annual “be-Entrepreneurial” or beE pitch competition.

Amani Hendricks, from left, Sija Headrick, Kyla Diei and Clayton Sanders won first place and $1,500 in the be-Entrepreneurial contest.

The beE organization is an entrepreneurship and idea competition for high school students. In addition, be-Entrepreneurial receives support from R.l.S.E., a North Alabama networking initiative and pathway for innovators and entrepreneurs to connect and build community success.

This year marks the second consecutive year in which a Bob Jones team has earned first-place honors and the cash award. Event sponsors were the School of Business and the Invention to Innovation Center, which recently opened on campus, at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, according to writer Yunona Shkolnikov with “Patriot Pages.” (bjhspatriotpages.com)

This year, 20 teams competed from the Huntsville area, along with a team from Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School in Birmingham. The caliber of the students’ business knowledge was impressive, and the teams were well prepared for the competition, Shkolnikov said.

However, Bob Jones’ winning team called ‘COR,’ “nailed its presentation in both the semifinal and finals rounds, handling some very tough questions from the judges in front of the entire crowd during finals,” Shkolnikov said.

The Bob Jones team invented a ‘smart’ headband and accompanying app that monitors health stats and force of blows. The device can aid in preventing concussions or needed treatment if an injury does occur.

The beE group empowers the next generation of high school entrepreneurs to conceptualize, collaborate and deliver new ideas, according to an organization spokesperson. The entrepreneurial teams competed to develop a submission for the business idea challenge with $3,000 at stake in cash prizes.

For more information, visit bjhspatriotpages.com.