Clarke Students Grace Cover of JANY Annual Report

For the past two years, students in Joe Pavia's business classes at have been encouraged to participate in the Junior Achievement of New York (JANY) Business Plan Competition (BPC). In accordance with the guidelines established by JANY, teams of three or four students develop an original business concept, conduct research, create a marketing plan and present such to a panel of corporate executives.

Prior to 2009, no Long Island high school had entered the competition, which is open to schools throughout New York. With the support of corporate sponsor Fed Ex, the students at Clarke High School took the competition by storm. Following a "regional" competition at Clarke, students from Pavia's class represented Long Island in the 2009 JANY Business Plan Competition Finals at Columbia University.

The team walked away with the top prize, including $2,000 and an iPhone for each of the four-team members. In 2010, the Clarke High School team of Samantha Difilippi, Samantha Wendorf and Kareema Roushdy set out to match the achievement of their peers from 2009. The trio did not disappoint, winning the JANY Competition with their original concept, Infinity Hosiery. The team competed in the NYS Finals at Columbia University, earning top honors, a cash prize of $3,000 and an iPhone for each member of the team.  In addition, the students and Pavia were invited to ring the closing bell at NASDAQ on June 4, 2010.

In December, JANY announced that the 2010 winning team from W. T. Clarke High School would adorn the cover of its annual report. This is a tremendous honor and tribute to the hard work and effort of the students and Pavia.