Student testimonial
"I now always attempt to operate on the side of faith, trust and risk. By operating in this manner and not letting the stops keep me down, my self esteem has improved." E.C., Bulkeley High School
"This seminar has helped me in many ways. It has showed me that I can achieve goals that are even higher than my expectations. It has also shown me that what other people think is impossible is possible and that no matter what people say to discourage you, you need to keep on going and always know you can and there are no limits to what you can do." M.H., New Britain High School
"My life right now is a lot better because of the things that I've learned from this seminar. I think more before I react." S.C., Prince Tech
"This program improved my attitude towards people and life and for that I say thanks!" T.L., Prince Tech |
Hartford Courant, The (CT)
December 10, 2004
CANDLELIGHT LESSONS GIVE STUDENTS A START
By Loretta Waldman
Mike Ostrowski wants to open his own
bank some day.
Kelly Charette dreams of running a
veterinary clinic.
Selling candles might seem an odd way
to prepare for either career, but not to
Mike and Kelly, both 15.
Running the business -- Precious
Candles -- the two New Britain High
School sophomores discovered what it
takes to get ahead in that venture, and
in life. What they learned about
teamwork, commitment and
perseverance will help them achieve
whatever goal they choose, they say.
The two were among the
approximately 30 teens taking part in a
10-week entrepreneurial program
offered for the first time at the high
school this fall. On Tuesday, they and
members of the other two New Britain
teams shared what they got out of the
experience before assembling in the
cafeteria for their 10th and final session
For Mike it’s a mantra-like phrase: “Be
a 10. Be a 10.”
Richard Giannamore, the Waterbury
businessman who created and led the
course, repeated it again and again over
the 10 weeks, Mike said.
“In business you always have to be a
10 to get your product out there,”
explained Mike, a soft-spoken teen
with a hulking frame. “You can be a
10 no matter the circumstance.”
Before the course, “I just took it the
way it came,” Mike said. “Normally, it
would have meant a bad day.”
Giannamore is president and CEO of
Financial Program Strategies, Inc., a
financial services company. The
seminar at the high school is an
adaptation of one he has been teaching
to adults in Connecticut and New York
for about 15 years, said Betsy Ceriello,
a volunteer facilitator.
The mission of both, she said, is to help
people create wealth and prosperity in
their lives.
Listening to students at a downtown
fair last week, at which they showcased
their wares, left little doubt about the
impact of the course. One after another,
the teens took to the stage to thank
Giannamore and praise the program.
“You thought like ‘Wow, we really
know nothing about business,’”, Jaritza
Cortes, a senior and a partner in a
custom T-shirt business, VarieTee’s,
said Tuesday. “Then you realize, it’s
easier than it seems.”
In addition to the three teams from
New Britain, students from Bulkeley
and Hartford high schools took part as
well as A.I. Prince Technical High
School in Hartford. Besides candles
and T-shirts, they sold candy, gift
baskets, post cards, jewelry and
desserts.
“I was very proud of them,” said
Sondra Sanford, a business education
teacher supervising the three New
Britain teams.
“They take the skills with them
wherever they go,” added Bob Deasy, a
consultant and former United
Technologies engineer assisting
Sanford.
Students met for two hours after school
every Tuesday beginning in October.
They then met two or three times more
a week on their own, Sanford said.
Whatever money they made, students
could keep or reinvest in the business.
Mike Ostrowski, Kelly Charette and
their partners, Sasha Valdez and Sasha
Mathis, said they haven’t decided what
to do with their $78 profit.
Deasy was amazed by the
transformation some of the teens
underwent during the course of the
program.
“Students who were rather timid at the
beginning exhibited tremendous
marketing and salesmanship skills at
the end,” he said. “A lot of growth has
taken place in the last 10 weeks. The
most important part of which was
students finding out who they are.”
A second entrepreneurial seminar for
students will be offered in spring 2005,
with sessions expected to begin at New
Britain High School in March. For
more information, call Ceriello at 860-
966-0619.
Edition: 2 WEST CENTRAL EDITION, Section: CONNECTICUT Page: B3
Copyright © 2004 The Hartford Courant Co.
Record Number 0412100450
Reprinted with permission of The Hartford Courant Co.
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