Florida's young entrepreneurs

FLORIDA — One day soon we may see a graduate of Florida’s Golden Hill Elementary School appearing on “The Shark Tank,” a reality TV show where aspiring entrepreneurs make business presentations to a panel of investors.
On Thursday evening, March 14, students who had created everything from costume jewelry to a marshmallow launcher, assembled in the Golden Hill gym to sell their wares at a TREP$ Showcase/Marketplace, the largest one in the nine years the school has hosted the program.
TREP$, short for enTREPreneur$ is a national, award-winning educational after-school program that teaches kids how to start their own business.
The showcase in the school gym was the culmination of six weeks of an after school learning program, where more than 30 students actually launched their businesses together and presented their concepts to the community.
“I want to thank the parents and children for making this such a special event,” said Golden Hill Principal Debbi Lisack. “And I especially want to thank our Library Media Specialist Amy Gargiulo and teacher Sandra Correa for organizing this event.”
According to co-creator Pamala de Waal, who also attended the event, the benefits of teaching entrepreneurship using TREP$ are far-reaching.
On a personal level, children who participate in TREP$ describe the feeling of empowerment and confidence that comes with starting a business.
This is a situation where it is possible for all kids to succeed. TREP$ rewards those with passion, determination, and a strong work ethic.
Most parents would agree that a program that improves self-esteem and rewards passion, determination and hard work is worth the investment.
"It was a really nice project for my son and I to work together,” said Sarah Misir, whose son Aiden created hand made pebble art. “It really didn't hit him how much he was going to enjoy it until he got here tonight and saw the look on everyone's face.”
- Roger Gavan