BHS GLOBAL BUSINESS ACADEMY
"The time I spent in the
business academy was
nothing less of a
transformative
experience. When I
entered, I was shy, afraid
to speak up. Now, I'm
leaving a confident leader
with strong viewpoints
and a wide
functional business
areas.”
-Ellis Douglas, Senior
and FBLA Co-President
Co-President of FBLA
In This Issue
Advantages of joining the academy
Curriculum and Course work
Major Accomplishments
Testimonials
The 2016-2017 school year was a huge success for the FBLA Club.
Our Mission
The goal of the Global Business Academy is to prepare its
students to manage and/or own business enterprises in a 21
st
century global economy. Students will gain an understanding of
successful business practices including finance, investment,
research and development, quality control, growth, sales, and
returns of investment as well as the legal aspects of business
management and/or entrepreneurship.
The Global Business Academy is more than just a curriculum,
students are taken on field trips and given an opportunity to
visit corporations, accounting firms, nonprofit organizations,
and government agencies in order to gain exposure to the
business world. In addition, recreational activities are
incorporated into the program.
2nd Annual Global Business Academy Newsletter Spring 2017
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
FBLA is the largest business career student organization in the world.
The high school division has 215,000 members, while the
postsecondary division reaches over 11,000 college students. Students
who would like to learn more about becoming leaders in their school and community
have the opportunity to get involved with the Future Business Leaders of America.
Nassau County Comptroller’s Entrepreneurial Challenge
On April 4th, 30 students participated in the Nassau County Comptroller
Entrepreneurial Challenge. This has been Baldwin’s fourth year participating in this
challenge. Over 20 teams of students from around Nassau County developed business
ideas and created extensive business plans to present at the Theodore Roosevelt
Legislative and Executive Building in Mineola. After the 1st round, 9 teams were
selected, two of which came from Baldwin, to participate in the final round. At the
second round, the Elevator Pitch Competition, both Baldwin teams received
Honorable Mentions., a proud moment for the Global Business Academy.
Madison Square Garden Trip
30 students from Mr. Kelley’s Sports Marketing class and the Global Business
Academy attended a field trip on April 24th to Madison Square Garden. The students
took the All Access Tour of MSG, seeing how a basketball court becomes a sheet of
ice, visiting the Knicks/Liberty and Rangers locker rooms, sat in the luxury suites, took
a backstage tour, saw the Theater and went courtside. On this annual trip, executives
at MSG assign our students a task to design a Promotional Brochure for a themed
event at the venue once they return to their classroom. All three winners of the
competition promoted a theme night focusing on Breast Cancer Awareness; Kelly
Brady received 1st Place for her promotion, while 2nd Place went to Kyle Brown, and
David Garcia’s brochure received 3rd Place.
High School Heroes – Steele and Meadow
Although FBLA has been participating in Junior Achievement’s High School Heroes
program for over 10 years, this year marked the third time that our over 50 students
had the opportunity to work with students from both Meadow and Steele Elementary
Schools. The lessons taught by the high schoolers included information on financial
literacy and the effect that businesses and service contributions have on the community
that we are all a part of.
Course Sequence
Freshman Year:
Introduction to Business
21st Century Entrepreneurial Skills
Sophomore Year:
Health
Sports or Entertainment Marketing
Junior Year:
College Business Management
College Accounting
Career & College Planning
Personal Financial Literacy
Introduction to Virtual Enterprise
Senior Year:
College Business Math
Senior Internship
Virtual Enterprise
Other Course Options:
College Business Law
College eCommerce
Students at
Above: Dana Alsaif and Marriyah Sulaiman with Mrs. Donovan’s class from Meadow Elementary School
Above: Students Outside of the Theodore
Roosevelt Executive and Legislation Building in
Mineola, Preparing for the Nassau County
Comptroller’s Entrepreneurial Challenge
Above: FBLA Clean-Up Crew, Co-Advisors
Mr. Kelley and Mrs. Raleigh, and
Assemblyman Brian Curran,
Brookside Preserve Cleanup
On this year’s Earth Day, April 22, 2017, members of the Future Business Leaders of
America club at Baldwin High School had the opportunity to participate in a clean-up
project at the Brookside Preserve. The preserve, which is located on Brookside Avenue just
under the train tracks, consists of a beautiful wooded area with grassy clearings and bridges
that cross over streams. With supplies including garbage bags, rakes, grabbers, and gloves
donated to the FBLA by Sanitation District No. 2, the students were able to collect nearly
25 bag of leaves and garbage, including drinking cups, empty chip bags, and water bottles.
The club would like to thank Assemblyman Brian Curran and Legislator Laura Curran for
their support in getting this project off the ground and for their help in cleaning up the
preserve on the day of the event.
Stony Brook Teen Collection Drive
This winter, the FBLA started a campaign to collect items for teenagers undergoing
treatment at Stony Brook University Hospital. Led by Fundraising Chairperson and senior
member of the club, Nicole Danyi, the FBLA connected with members of their school and
community to collect items appropriate for teenage patients. After collecting a variety of
gifts, including nail polish, coloring books, pillows, and socks, a team of students divided
them up into 52 care packages that they delivered to the hospital on March 8th. Ms.
Danyi’s goal for the project was to, “...make an impact through small gestures that can
bring a smile to those who really need it.” Each gift bag came adorned with a ribbon and a
sticker to tell the patient where their gift came from and encourage them to post a picture
of them reacting to or using the gift on Twitter and tag the FBLA to help the students see
the impact that their contributions make on the lives of children not far from their own
age.
Third Annual Yard Sale/Car Wash Fundraiser
On Sunday May 21st, the Future Business Leaders of America at Baldwin High School
hosted their third annual Car Wash/Yard Sale Fundraiser. This year, the proceeds from
the event were put into the Matthew Lee Dolsky Scholarship Fund, in honor of a Baldwin
alumnus and former FBLA member who tragically passed away earlier this year.
All items for the Yard Sale come from donations made by members of the Baldwin
community, including alumni, students, parents, and teachers. This year, the selection was
widely varied, including large quantities of books, movies, clothing, kitchenware, and
household decorations. Using the social media accounts for the club and its executive
board, the students shared pictures of the items that were gathered, helping to draw in a
larger crowd than in years passed. Throughout the day, students, teachers and alumni
banded together to promote the event on Brookside Avenue and Grand Avenue, sell items
at the Yard Sale, and wash cars, raising more than $1,400 for the scholarship fund. “We
would like to give a heartfelt thanks to Mr. Kelley, Mrs. Raleigh, the members of the
Future Business Leaders of America Club and the community for coming out and
supporting the car wash,” said Karen Dolsky, Matthew’s mother, who came down with her
family to wash cars, “Your donations in honor of Matthew’s memory touched us deeply.
We are overwhelmed by the generosity and support of the entire Baldwin community.”
Above: FBLA Students and Advisors with
Matthew Dolsky’s Family who Helped Set up
the Matthew Lee Dolsky Scholarship Fund in
the Young Man’s Honor
At Left: FBLA Co-Presidents William Salmon and Ellis Douglas had
the Opportunity to Attend the Nassau County Comptrollers Annual
Press Conference to Kick-Off the Entrepreneurial Challenge, which
Baldwin had the Unique Chance to Host this Year
Above: FBLA Co-Presidents William Salmon
and Ellis Douglas with Community Service
Chairperson Nicole Danyi and several of the 52
gifts that were delivered to teenagers undergoing
procedures at Stony Brook Medical Center
Students from The Global
Business Academy were
accepted to some of the
country’s finest colleges and
universities such as…
Boston College
Boston University
George Washington
University
Brandeis University
Villanova University
SUNY at Stony
Brook
CUNY Baruch
Emerson College
Fordham University
Tufts University
SUNY at Albany
Siena College
Wagner College
SUNY at
Binghamton
Temple University
Drexel University
St. John’s
University
Hampton University
Seton Hall
University
Morehouse College
Morgan State
University
Long Island
University: Post
Pace University
Southern New
Hampshire
University
Summer Opportunities
Molloy College Business Boot Camp
From June 27th to June 30th,, 2017, 3 members of Baldwin High School’s Global Business
Academy were immersed in the Business Boot Camp at Molloy College with over 80
students from 40 high schools across Long Island and New York City. The three students,
Ellis Douglas, Jessica Vincello, and Serena Zingale, learned about the important skills that
entrepreneurs must possess through lectures and daily competitions which challenged the
students to put their knowledge to use. Topics that were covered in the lectures included the
importance of ethics and the math behind compounded interest, while the competitions
included pitching a business idea in a Shark Tank and presenting a research project on a
given topic. At the end of the four days, the students and their families attended a
graduation ceremony where the participants were presented with diplomas and had their
hard work acknowledged by the exceptional staff at the college, including the Dean of
Molloy’s Division of Business, Maureen L. MacKenzie, and the program’s leader, Dean
Stephen Bier.
Awards were also presented to the teams that came in first and second in each competition
at the ceremony. Jessica Vincello’s team won the first place prizes for both the Shark Tank
style competition and the final project, an oral presentation on the benefits and pitfalls of
reverse mortgages. Jessica, who was also named 1 of 5 outstanding students in the camp,
was happy to have had the opportunity to grow her business skills in such a conducive
environment. “The program offered my fellow students and I not only an atmosphere that
nurtured the absorption of the copious amounts of information that was taught to us
throughout the week by allowing us to put it to work daily,” said Jessica, “but also
opportunities to work on ‘soft skills’ such as presenting orally and networking with people
interested in similar careers, which most people take for granted.”
Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession (COAP)
6 members of the Global Business Academy spent the first week of their summer of 2016
participating in an exciting program at Adelphi University called Career Opportunities in the
Accounting Profession. The 6 students that participated are John Felder-Washington, John
Smith, Darien Vigilance, Niles Wilson, Evan Howell and Folayemi Adeyemi. In this program,
students worked on academics in conjunction with field trips and visits to corporations,
accounting firms, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies in order to gain exposure to
the business world. At the conclusion the program, a formal banquet was held where a COAP
alumnus acts as the keynote speaker, and students are presented with awards and
certificates. Each of the student participants was given a role in the event and their parents/
guardians were invited to attend.
The COAP program provides participants with a unique introduction to the accounting
profession. By attending sessions on campus and interacting with students from other schools
who share similar interests and career goals, COAP also provided students with an idea of what
their college experiences will be like.
Introducing Virtual Enterprise International at
Baldwin High School
On Friday, January 13, 2017, the students of Baldwin High School's Virtual Enterprise
firm Librevita, under the direction of Business Teacher Mr. Jason Rudish, attended the
Long Island Regional Trade Show. At the trade show, the 19 students acted as sales
representatives and presenters, making connections with students and teachers from
other schools and colleges, as well as business leaders from across the island.
Through the use of newly acquired networking skills, the company was able to secure
over $200,000.00 in sales.
The trade show also included an opportunity for Librevita's six person business plan
team to give an in depth presentation on Librevita's mission, products, marketing
strategies, and financial outlook. Led by CEO Jessica Vincello, the team gave a ten
minute presentation to two professionals who have worked for companies such as Kind,
PopChips, and Gluten-Free Bars. After tough deliberation on behalf of all of the judges,
Librevita placed 15th out of 75 teams from across Long Island, putting our firm in the
top 20%, a result that is rather difficult to achieve as a first year company. Although the
team did not continue on to the national business plan competition, their full business
plan presentation, including the Q&A session is available for your viewing on YouTube
at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6zPM174VOQ
On Wedensday, April 5th, 2017, fourteen members of the Virtual Enterprise class
participated in the Youth Business Summit at Pier 92 in New York City. The floor of the
trade show had over 200 booths for firms from many states and nations, and Baldwin's
students had the opportunity to visit the booths and make both sales and purchases,
giving them the chance to network with other students and adults. The green screen at
Librevita's booth proved to be a successful venture for Baldwin's firm, and allowed for a
great deal of social media exposure through the company's instagram page,
librevita.vei. Librevita's CEO Jessica Vincello also participated in the salesmanship
competition the morning of the trade show, giving a one-on-one pitch to a judge from
PIMCO. After all of the firms participated in the competition, results were announced,
and Librevita was one of 15 firms to receive the highest salesmanship honor, a gold
plaque. Librevita's employees would like to thank the staff and administration at Baldwin
High School for supporting their ventures this year, and helping to develop the ideas
that took them this far in the competition.
Student Testimonials:
"The business academy taught
me life skills for the global
world beyond high school. It’s
about who you know rather
than what you know, and the
business academy has provided
me the opportunities to network
with successful professionals.”
-Matinah Cesar, Senior and
Leadership Council
Representative for FBLA
“The business academy has
given me a lot of helpful tools to
build off of for my future, and
has paved a path for me to be
successful.” –Thomas Airey,
FBLA Rising Senior
"FBLA accepted me as a
freshman with no knowledge of
business; they turned me into a
marketing specialist.”
-John Felder-Washington,
Senior and
“The teachers in the business
department are all dedicated to
helping their students become
confident leaders.” -Serena
Zingale, Senior and FBLA Co-
Vice President
Above: The 19 student of Baldwin’s Virtual Enterprise firm, Librevita, with their advisor, Mr. Jason Rudish
Shark Tank at Molloy College
On Saturday March 11, two teams of students from the FBLA and Global Business Academy
participated in the first Teen CEO Development Project Shark Tank competition at Molloy
College, hosted by Jack and Jill of Nassau County, which included several entrepreneurship
workshops with business leaders from the community, including Tricia Messeroux, founder of
Toddlewood, and Matthew Rhoden, CEO of Krisp and Kool Distributors. At the end of the
seminars, the students were given the opportunity to present their business plans to a panel of
business professionals, peers, and college professors. Leading up to the event, the eight students
from Baldwin worked collaboratively to create two unique businesses, each with their own mission
and model. The creativity and business knowledge of Baldwin’s students was apparent in their oral
presentations, and helped to secure the 1st and 2nd place spots for Baldwin’s teams. "I knew that
our students were prepared going into the competition,” remarked Gregg Kelley, Business Teacher
and co-advisor of FBLA, “but I couldn't be prouder than to have the two Baldwin teams take 1st
and 2nd Place in this competition. This reaffirms that the students that are enrolled in the Global
Business Academy and in the Future Business Leaders of America club have a competitive edge
heading into life beyond Baldwin HS." Both teams, whose members included Ellis Douglas, Serena
Zingale, Thomas Airey, William Salmon, Jessica Vincello, J Fordsman, Thomas Ely, and Nicole
Danyi, made a large impact on the Jack and Jill leadership, including the chapter president, Sharon
Hoskins, who commented, “The Nassau County Chapter of Jack and Jill is committed to providing
these types of opportunities for community youth and we are grateful to have Molloy College work
in partnership with us. I was so impressed with the
ingenuity, creativity, poise and confidence exhibited
by the Teen CEO participants both in the
development of their ideas and the presentation of their business pitch. They were fully
engaged, very inquisitive and well-prepared. If these young entrepreneurs represent our
future, then we are in great hands!”
Risk Management Spark Challenge at
Northwell Health
Students enrolled in the Global Business Academy participated in a Spark Challenge with the
Northwell Health System in November of 2016, an opportunity that was afforded to members of
all of Baldwin’s academies. On the day of the event, students learned about the responsibilities and
expectations of members of the Risk Management field. Throughout the winter, half of the
students worked on designing promotional materials for the risk management department at
Northwell using Adobe Photoshop, while the rest of their teammates worked on an oral
presentation for executives from the Northwell Health System, which they presented at the Cradle
of Aviation on April 6, 2017. Although the students from the Global Business Academy did not
place, they received an enormous amount of positive feedback from the judges and business
executives, and were happy to see their fellow Baldwin counterparts succeed.
Recognition in 2017
2 Honorable Mentions at
the Nassau County
Comptroller’s
Entrepreneurial Challenge
15th out of 75 LI Teams
in the Long Island
Regional Business Plan
Competition
Gold Level Plaque in the
Salesmanship
Competition at the Youth
Business Summit Trade
Show
1st and 2nd Place at the
Teen CEO Development
Project: Shark Tank
Challenge
Business Department Chairperson
Arlene Guerrero
(516) 434-6103
Global Business Academy Coordinator
Jackie Guidice
(516) 434-6250
