Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2016

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900 teachers and reached more than 17,000 students. En-
trepreneurship is typically offered in South Carolina public
schools as an elective, widely in high schools and increas-
ingly more often in middle schools.
Christine Lloyd, who teaches an elective focused on
entrepreneurship at Laing, thinks it has made a difference
for the kids and their creativity.
“The 8th grade
team at Laing was
looking to intro-
duce entrepre-
neurship into our
school’s STEM
curriculum, so
I signed up for
YesCarolina’s
summer training.
Shortly afterwards,
Principal White-
hair reached out to
me about teaching
it full-time as an
elective,” she said.
“Yescarolina’s
program motivates
my students by
exposing them to
the tools necessary to create their own small businesses – and,
in particular, to understand that it is possible to successfully
run one as a teenager! The program also helps spark a desire
to learn more about how everyone’s daily lives are influenced
by some fairly basic economic concepts,” she added.
“Entrepreneurship is a life-relevant class,” said Crete.
“We see the importance of public speaking, leadership,
math, finance, composition and teamwork. With entrepre-
neurship, you learn a lot of really important skills, not only
to start your own business if you want to but to be a better
employee.”
The competition is open to students who have taken
an entrepreneurship class or who have attended a summer
business camp taught by a teacher trained by YEScaro-
lina. Students are drawn to the competition, and to study
entrepreneurship, because it allows them to work to their
existing strengths.
That’s what the students at this year’s competition
did. Isaiah Griffin of Military Magnet Academy in North
Charleston took first place in the middle school competi-
tion with his idea for “Beach Bubble Ice Cream,” a cross be-
tween an old-fashioned mobile ice cream truck and a trendy
food truck. It’s a twist on something that everyone already
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knows, and it’s already a success – Isaiah runs the truck with
his dad.
“They’re making it happen,” said Crete. “He really had
a full understanding of business before signing up for the
summer Biz Camp.”
The winners of the high school competition were
partners Kevin Pascal and Karl Jacobs of Fort Dorchester
High School, also
located in North
Charleston. Their
SchooLanyard is
a multifunctional
lanyard that helps
students keep
things such as
their school ID,
cell phone, MP3
player and other
personal items
organized. It has
headphones and
a detachable flash
drive. Pascal and
Jacobs are already
looking at ways to
expand the target
market beyond
students and are considering bringing their idea to compa-
nies that require employees to wear ID badges as well.
In addition to winning $3,000 in prize money, the team
can now compete on a national level at the Network for
Teaching Entrepreneurship National Challenge, licensor of
YEScarolina. Pascal will represent the pair in New York City
this October, where he’ll be going up against 40 finalists from
around the country. Crete worked with Pascal to help get a
prototype ready for display, help rebrand the business plan,
plus polish the presentation for the national competition.
Whether students take home the top prize or simply take
part, participation can be the start of a student’s entrepre-
neurial life.
“One of the entrepreneurship teachers said it best. In
school, if the students aren’t good at math, science or Eng-
lish, they think they aren’t good at school. In entrepreneur-
ship, we focus on what they are good at. We focus on their
strengths and talents,” said Crete. “Come up with an idea of
your own, something you’re good at or love to do. Let’s find
a business that works for you.”
To learn more about the Business Plan Competition and about
YEScarolina, visit .
Left to right: Joseph Meachum of Bank of America, final round judge; Gavin Viohl of Laing Middle School of Science
& Technology with Miles of Smiles Fishing Charters; Isaiah Griffin of Military Magnet Academy with Beach Bubble
Ice Cream; Heather Harris of Laing Middle School of Science & Technology with Heather’s Dog Walking; and Latasha
Gandy of Bank of America, final round judge.
Photo courtesy of YESCarolina.