Long Beach High School held its fifth annual Business Olympics on April 26, showcasing various business plans that students designed from start to finish. In light of the global pandemic, this year’s event, which was a collaboration between the Business Department and the Long Beach Industry Advisory Board, featured fundraising campaign ideas that fit the theme, "Restimulating the Long Beach Economy."

The event opened with remarks from DECA adviser and business teacher Blake Malizia and Principal Jeffrey Myers. Student DECA members facilitated the evening and introduced judges and contenders. Each team presented its fundraising concept, complete with a marketing plan, advertisement, campaign pitch and other components, to panels of Long Beach City Council representatives. Students identified their target markets, challenges, strengths, competition and legalities and incorporated social media, websites and other forms of digital marketing into their plans.

First place honors went to Michael Coritsidis, Dillon Dasilva and Matthew Lehr for their project, "Long Beach Sweepstakes.” The idea behind their endeavor was based on the Golden Ticket concept utilized in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Their plan is to partner with local businesses that have been affected by the pandemic, and involves raffle tickets for every $50 spent by patrons and a monthlong series of weekly drawings for prizes donated by the businesses. More details about this venture can be viewed on the team’s website, https://digitalmattl.wixsite.com/website.

The Business Olympics was introduced in 2017 as a way to enhance college- and career readiness and equip students with skills that they can use in the future. The experience broadens students’ understanding of the factors involved in developing a business.