Overtime, a Junior Achievement (JA) company formed by 17 students at Weyburn Comprehensive High School, has been selected as the recipient of the 2016 Canadian Chamber of Commerce Company of the Year award.
The award is based on a number of criteria, including attendance of team members, even distribution of sales among all members, teamwork, financial records and return on investment.
As students in the JA Company Program, the team had to develop a product or service, name it, market their product and run their venture like a company. The team decided upon custom-made lanyards and bracelets made from hockey skate laces. The goal of their company, Overtime was to create a product that was unique and hand made. The concept was a hit, generating many sales that returned a cash dividend to each student shareholder and enabled the company to donate $800 to the non-profit organization KidSport.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 hard to motivate and guide the talents of this team as they were highly motivated to succeed on their own,鈥� said their teacher, Margot Arnold.
鈥淭his JA venture provided the opportunity for my students to learn about all aspects of business. They were anxious and eager to learn all they could about starting and running their own company. With each product created, it inspired the company members to improve and develop their creative skills, making each product more outstanding than the last.鈥�
鈥淚t was a real-life experience that prepared them for the world of business,鈥� added Arnold.
Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, commented on the winning business.
鈥淚 want to congratulate Overtime, the company created by the Weyburn Comprehensive High School鈥檚 JA class under the guidance of teacher Margot Arnold, for being selected as the Company of the Year. The Canadian Chamber is proud to participate in fostering the entrepreneurial spirit of the next generation of business leaders. Overtime is a perfect example of that, a team of young people that combined innovation, learning, and Canada鈥檚 national pastime 鈥� hockey 鈥� to create useful and trendy products. Canada needs more entrepreneurs like them.鈥�
Darren Hill, president and CEO of JA Saskatchewan, says the national award speaks to the quality of JA programs for elementary and high school students throughout the province.
鈥淥ur outstanding teachers, advisors and mentors, including businesses and financial institutions, help us deliver unique learning and experiences that inspire and benefit students throughout their lives. More and more forward-thinking communities like Weyburn are asking for these programs, and with the help of our sponsors we are striving to meet that demand.鈥�
This is the second year in a row that Margot Arnold鈥檚 JA class has won the national Company of the Year Award
