SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE

 

CONTACT: Sarah Wahrenbrock                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEAS

310.450.8338, ext. 229                                                  31 July 2008


SAMOHI SAGE Students Take 3rd Place in World Cup Competition in Abuja, Nigeria

 

JULY 26, 2008 ABUJA, NIGERIA – Seven tired, but exhilarated, Santa Monica High School ROP (Regional Occupational Program) students and their two teacher/advisors took third place worldwide, representing the United States in the 2008 SAGE (Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship) World Cup Competition.  Team Nigeria took the first place title, with South Korea coming in second, and Team Singapore taking fourth place.

 

The SAMOHI SAGE team, represented by students Alberto DePablo, Jessie Chan, Tenzin Chodak, Sonam Chodak, Jasmine McClain, Monica Choo, and Jane Beck, along with teacher/advisors, Teri Jones and Anita Kemp, recently won the 2008 state championship, which was the third consecutive year that SAMOHI has taken this title. At the end of May, the team captured the SAGE National Title in Cincinnati, Ohio, qualifying them to compete for the United States in the World Cup Competition in Nigeria.

 

“This year's SAGE group put Santa Monica High and our entire school district on the world map,” said Board President Oscar de la Torre.  “They exemplify our vision of creating a world-class public school system. The students, Samohi staff, and parents deserve credit for a job well done.”

 

In each of their competitions, the student team had fifteen minutes to present a multimedia presentation and five minutes of Q&A to convince the seventy judges that Santa Monica met the necessary ten criteria.

 

Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) is an international non-profit organization that links secondary school student organizations to mentors from local universities and businesses. Its purpose is to advance youth business and social entrepreneurship in an ethical and socially responsible manner.

 

Students worked all year on their projects, which included:

  1. Work with teacher Ben Kay and his Team Marine for an environmental project on ensuring a city ban on single use plastic bags.
  2. Tote-a-lly Awesome, a tote bag company that aims to help the environment, donates to 3 social causes and promotes both school and city spirit.
  3. The Vikes Inn & Cafe, SAMOHI’s venture continuing business, which is a model practice, promotes school loyalty, scholarships, and healthy habits.
  4. SAMOHI’s Global Projects, which include the 2nd Annual International Day, educating 400 students on the global economy and the continuing Soiree Locations, the Virtual Enterprise business, which reacts to the fluctuating global monetary valuations.
  5. Civic Engagement projects, which included partnering with ASB and the League of Women Voters to educate and create a mock election. Students also lobbied state legislators on behalf of ROP in Sacramento and for environmental and business concerns.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Board of Education honored the team at its May 15th meeting, at which student Alberto De Pablo reflected that the program has helped him learn a lot about business, including how businesses are becoming more environmentally conscience. He added that previous SAGE winners return to help mentor current teams.


Travel expenses for the team came from private fundraising and a generous contribution from the Santa Monica Kiwanis Club and the City of Santa Monica.  Their trip to Nigeria lasted for nearly a week, and during their off-hours they were treated to extensive cultural exchange and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.  For more information, visit the team’s blog: http://samosage2008.blogspot.com.

 

####

 

SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
1651 16TH Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
ph: 310.450.8338; fax: 310.581.1138
www.smmusd.org <http://www.smmusd.org>