Schools Enterprise Programme
STUDENT ENTERPRISE AWARDS County Final
The Meath County Enterprise Board hosted the Co. Meath final of the Student Enterprise Awards in the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim on Monday, 1st March. The competition is sponsored nationally by the County and City Enterprise Boards and to take part, students had to set up their own business – either manufacturing or service, had to make it work and make a profit!
Some sixty enterprising students representing fourteen different businesses from ten of the county’s second-level schools took part in the Enterprise Board sponsored Meath round, with the winners going forward to represent the Royal County at the National Final in the Croke Park on Tuesday, 27th April. Students had to set up a display, prepare a business report and were adjudicated under headings such as innovation, market research, business performance and personal development.
Mr. Noel Dempsey, T.D., Minister for Transport, presented special Meath County Enterprise Board certificates of participation to all student entrepreneurs on the evening and he also presented trophies and cash prizes sponsored by the Board to the following winners:
| Junior Category | |
| 1st Prize | Night Zone Dylan Keating & Kieran Cleaver. St. Fintina’s Post Primary, Longwood. Batteryoperated tea-light holders |
2nd Prize
| The Emmas Productions Emma Smith & Emma Carter, St. Oliver Post Primary School, Oldcastle. Calendars featuring school logo and artwork. |
| Intermediate Category | |
1st Prize
2nd Prize
3rd Prize
| Lunches 4 Less Barry Cassidy & Daniel Duffy, O’Carolan College, Nobber.
Canteen service offering recession busting lunches. Krafty Kreations Louise Dunne, Megan Connolly, Gemma Fox and Chloe Flynn Hand made greeting cards and gift bags. Woodpeckers Robert Weir & Seamus Cunningham, St. Oliver Post Primary, Oldcastle. Wooden Wine racks. |
| Senior Category | |
| 1st Prize | Danwantstech
Daniel Flynn, Dunshaughlin Community College.
Website for tech news, downloads, reviews, tips and software
|
| 2nd Prize | “Key Memories”
Amy Gillen, Jacinta Maher, Caroline Moloney and Doireann Mic Mhathuna.
St. Joseph’s Mercy, Navan.
Key Memories produces and sells key rings aimed at various different markets. |
| 3rd Prize | “Cards and Carols”
TY Class, Loreto, Navan. This business had two strings to it’s bow. It organized a hugely successful carol service night which was held in the local St. Mary’s church and featured invited guests such as Eamon Toal, and Grainne Thomas together with many talented local musicians. |
First place winners in each category go forward to represent Co. Meath at the National Final in the Croke Parkon Tuesday, 27th April
Teams who also took part on the night were from: Ashbourne CommunitySchool, Boyne Community School, Trim, Scoil Mhuire, Trim, St. Peter’s College, Dunboyne, Loreto, Navan, St. Joseph's Mercy, Navan, St. Fintina's Post Primary, Longwood and St. Oliver Post Primary, Oldcastle.
There were two lucky winners of an MP3 player and a digital camera sponsored by the Meath County Enterprise The Meath County Enterprise Board is funded by the Irish Government and part-financed by the European Union under the National Development Plan 2007-2013.
Young Meath Business Whizzkids Take National Enterprise Title!!!
A team from Co. Meath emerged with a national title at the 2010 final of the Student Enterprise Awards (SEA) which was held on Tuesday, 27th April inCrokePark.
The SEA is sponsored nationally by the County & City Enterprise Boards and aims to give second level students the experience of setting and running a real business.
Last Tuesday, hundreds of students from all over the country displayed the results of months of hard work and vied to impress the panel of judges with their service or manufacturing business.
Third prize in the Intermediate Category was scooped by Daniel Duffy and Barry Cassidy, 2nd year students from O’Carolan College, Nobber with their business “Lunches4less”. These two young entrepreneurs, under the guidance of their teacher, Cathal Rogers, came up with the idea of providing students with a way to save money in this time of recession by offering a canteen service where students with a loyalty card can get a free lunch for every nine lunches purchased in the group’s canteen. The lunches were offered in conjunction with Centra. This hugely energetic duo had many marketing strategies, one of them being inviting well know personalities e.g. Barry Geraghty, jockey, to their school for a “Meet and Greet” lunch where they spoke of the importance of healthy eating and exercise. The one piece of advice that sticks in these young entrepreneurs’ minds is “running a business is a marathon, not a sprint”!!
Barry and Daniel obviously impressed the judges very much with their idea and how they managed and continue to manage a thriving business.
Co. Meath was also represented in the Junior category by “Night Zone Ltd”, c/o Dylan Keating & Kieran Cleaver, St. Fintina’s Post Primary, Longwood, Co. Meath under the guidance of Shirley Mc Donagh. This duo produced unique flickering tea-light holders made from teak and red deal and carved into shapes. The tea light is battery powered and so is a safer option than a normal candle.
In the Senior Category, Daniel Flynn, Dunshaughlin Community College presented his business “DanwantsTech”. DanWantsTech.com is the place to go for tech news, downloads, reviews, tips and software. It is the perfect place to find out how to solve problems on your computer, (mostly via You-Tube tutorials,) see a review of a new gadget and find out how to operate new software. Daniel’s teacher is James Cumiskey.
M.C. for the afternoon was 2fm D.J., Rick O’Shea. “Dragons” Bobby Kerr and Gavin Duffy came along to meet with the student entrepreneurs which added greatly to the occasion. Bill Cullen also gave an inspirational keynote speech outlining how his career in enterprise started out – i.e. selling apples at the matches in Croke Park!
The County and CityEnterprise Boards are funded by the Irish Government and part-financed by the European Union under the National Development Plan 2007-2013.
