Senior Cody Worrentokes0 break between boot races during the Business Information Technology Students retreat at Greers Ferry Lake Oct. 8. The organization spent the "technology-free" weekend playing games and making s'mores around a campfire. -Courtesy of Jonathan Picklesimer Economics team excels at competition in Memphis Theywent into schools, teaching children and making cookies, bur belonging to this organizadon was not all fun and games. It required houl'S ofpb.nningand rehearsingso their message couldbeheard dearly by all they presented roo They were the Srudems In Free Enterprise. At theSIFEnational competition in Memphis, Tenn., in April of2005. the economics team was awarded first runner-up for its overall presentation and first place for Business Ethics. Senior Matt Summitt, co-captain of the team, said winning the Business Ethics award was unexpected, but logical. "When we wrOte our presentation, we did not realize we made ethics such a snong point," Summitt said. "Be– ing at Harding, edlics is ingrained in you.To us, ethics is more of a way oflife, noe JUSt another subjtct." o Summitt said while they were ar the competirion they had the oppOrtunilY to watch some of the other teams and gained a ftesh perspective from them. "When you see something that is different from your own presenmrion you learn from ie," Summitt said. "We found out thar we needed to bring in more elements so we can have a better undemanding of what others think is good." Since the team's inception in 1979, they have won the national competition six times and received first runner-up six times. Senior Lana Gilbert, co-captain of the team, said the national competition was the culmination of the work the team put in for the past year. To prepare for the competition, she said they created a PowerPoint presentation and a script and practiced their presenta– tion three times a week. "We work on 40 projects during the f."lll and then combine them into a report and a presentation for a set of judges in the spring," Gilbert said. Gilbert s.."lid they presented their projectS co children in Searcy schools ranging from the third to 12th grades. "We go to schools around Whire County teaching the message of free enrerprise ro schools," Gilbert said. While at local schools, the SIFE team taught children how businesses operated. "One of Illy favo rite things we do is our Cookie Factory presentation for the fourth-graders," Gilbert said. "We have them make cookies, package them , market them, distribute them; they are even taxed and make wages. It is a lor of fun, and rhey learn how a company is run." Summitt said the teamwas not a passive, academic group but an active and practical group. "We're helping our community become a better community," Summirr said. "Stay in school, get as m uch education as you can and make your community a bener place. Ifkids get that message, then we've done our job." ·Stocey Condoloro students uliil free@liilfr@[j"[pJ[j"u~@ .society@~humon [j"@~@I)1I[j"©@ monogement Row 1: T. Skelley, K. Stewart, E. Larua, L. Gilbert. Row 2: S. Riggs. M. Swindle, M. Summitt. C. Cochran. Row 1: E. Delhagen, B. Chandler, T. Osborne. Row 2: M. Fosha , J. Ellis. business '·{I) .
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