Innovative Hazelwood Students rise to the Challenge!

Innovative Hazelwood Students rise to the Challenge!

Agri Aware with the support of Bord Bia and AIB set a challenge earlier in the school year for budding enterprising students to come up with an innovative marketable product or service. Hazelwood College students with an entrepreneurial spirit rose to the challenge and many business ideas were put forward to the Home Economics Department based on the areas of food, agriculture and the environment.

Two senior teams were successful with their business submissions and were chosen to participate in the Munster Regional Heats of the Green Dragon Challenge. “GreenFlow” is the brainchild idea of Fifth Year students Paudie Walsh and Michael Twomey while Transition Year students Deborah Daly, Mairead Noonan and Megan Ahern are the creators of “Handy Fuels”.

Under the guidance of Ms. Daly, Mr. O’ Grady, Mr. Hennessey and Mr. Keane the students worked extremely hard on their business and marketing plans. The students ingenuity and creativity skills were evident during the creation of marketing tools such as a television advertisement and a brochure. Each team had the unenviable task of having only five minutes to pitch their business idea before the judges using only a storyboard. They then had to be able to answer questions regarding the feasibility of their business idea, target market, product strategy, pricing etc.

More than 100 business and marketing ideas from students across the province were pitched before the judging panel on Saturday 13th April in the Fir grove Hotel in Mitchelstown Co. Cork.

The overall winner of the competition will receive project and mentoring development worth €10,000 to build up their business and a €2,000 cash prize shared between them and their school. Five runners-up will be awarded €500 each. The winners will be chosen at a final in March. All fingers and toes are crossed for our budding entrepreneurial hopefuls!