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Lawrence High School Virtual Enterprise Class Advances to
Round 2 of the Long Island Virtual Enterprise
Business Plan Competition
LAWRENCE, NEW YORK (February 2022)—Congratulations to the Lawrence High School Virtual Enterprise Class, Tornado Watch, on advancing to round two of the Long Island Virtual Enterprise Business Plan Competition! This is the first time in the history of the program that the class has advanced to the semifinals.
Virtual Enterprise is an educational nonprofit, training students with real-life work experience that prepares them for future careers. Students are able to develop essential skills such as leadership as well as gain an understanding of functional and core technology with Virtual Enterprise’s immersive, work-based learning experiences. At Lawrence High School, Virtual Enterprise is a highly sought-after program open to juniors and seniors. In order to qualify for the class, students need to have successfully completed at least one business elective and have permission from the instructor. Once the class begins in the fall, students apply and interview for positions that include CEO, COO, CFO, or a position within the accounting, informational technology, marketing, research and development, sales, or social media departments. Students will also complete a W-4 form as part of the experience.
“This was a great accomplishment as Tornado Watch, a cybersecurity company, competed against 110 firms in round one,” said Principal Dr. Jennifer Lagnado-Papp. “I am incredibly proud of our Virtual Enterprise students. Their hard work and perseverance paid off!”
A typical day for the Virtual Enterprise students involves monitoring the firm’s online bank account, social media activity, and email. students also record and post business transactions each day, create financial statements and close the books each month using Google Sheets. The marketing department creates seasonal promotions which can be viewed on their social media and company website. Students may elect to receive college credit from Long Island University and Farmingdale State College based on successful completion of the class. Students learn how to start and run a business and receive a virtual paycheck each month, which is deposited into an online personal bank account. Students purchase products and services from other firms in the program, learn how to budget disposable income, and will complete their own W-2 forms and 1040 tax forms in March.
“I am very proud of the students’ hard work,” said Mr. Mark Palladino, Lawrence High School Virtual Enterprise teacher. “They put a lot of time, energy, creativity, and research into their business plan presentation while completing their daily responsibilities. We are looking forward to competing in the next round.”
Lawrence High School students, Xian Scott, CEO of Tornado Watch, Jeni Pomper, COO of Tornado Watch, and Ilia Urgen, CFO of Tornado will compete virtually on Tuesday, February 15, 2022.
For more information about the Lawrence Union Free School District and the latest District news, please visit www.lawrence.org.
Photo 1: Mr. Mark Palladino, Virtual Enterprise teacher; Jeni Pomper, Tornado COO; Xian Scott, CEO; and Ilia Urgen, CFO.
Photo 2: Virtual Enterprise Class students, left to right: Jenny Chen, Dayana Hercules, Mia Mendoza, Samantha Ezihie, Stephanie Vinas, Philip Bernard, Didier Gordillo, Emma Urgen, and Sofia O'Keeffe.
Photo 3: Virtual Enterprise Class students, left to right: Josh Barrios, Jennifer Sandoval Reyes, Ryan Dorestal, Tamika Monk-Walker
