The BIC 5 and 6th grade Gifted and Talented class (GT for short)  recently participated in the Scarlet to Black Small Leadership Conference Competition hosted by Arkansas State University. The Scarlet to Black Program, founded in 2018, is designed to help not only the students who participate in the competition, but particularly those in their first year at ASU, understand financial responsibility, budgeting and planning for their futures so they are prepared for what they may face on the path to graduation. This competition is one of the many projects conducted throughout the year. The competition was held on November 14, where students formed 5 groups. The competition is fierce, with over 270 people competing all from grades 3-6, representing 16 different schools.

The teams had to create a new business idea, with the objective of selling a new or significantly improved product or service, which is similar to the “Thrown to the Wolves” competition that is also hosted by A-State.  Once the teams had come up with their idea, they were given the liberty to name their business. 

GT Coordinator, Mrs. Stephanie Decker, along with the BIC community are very proud of the performance of the Gifted and Talented class. Ayden Conner, Zaylee Stewart, and Izzy Stull made the top five for their business “Bookworms.” After their live pitch and question round with the judges those three students earned 1st place in the Elevator Pitch category for fifth and sixth grade. The GT class also had a team  made up of Lynlee Duffel, Stella Hatch, Ella Kendrick, and Karsie Wade that placed third overall for their business “Knot Just a Hobby.”  These girls earned a cash prize of $200 to share. 

Being a GT teacher is not the easiest job and is a job that carries a lot of responsibility. We got insights from Mrs. Decker who commented that her daily duties include teaching a whole group enrichment to kindergarten through second grade. However for grades 3-6, Mrs. Decker’s  duties differ. 

“Students complete hands-on projects. I try to incorporate several technology skills such as creating Google presentations, coding, and using the green screen,” said Decker.

 When asked about the experience at the conference, Mrs. Decker commented, “This was our second year to compete at this competition. Dr.Tew at A-State and his students do an excellent job at planning this event and making it all about the kids. I am very proud of the hard work that my students put into this project. They worked on this for two months.” 

 During the conference the students learned very valuable skills. “Students learned a lot about entrepreneurship, working as a team, communicating, and time management. I also like the fact that this competition allows students to see and experience a college campus. A lot of students have not had this exposure. It gets students asking questions about how college works,” said Decker. 

 Fifth Grader Lillian Arnold said that her favorite part of the project was getting to work with his team, while sixth grader Izzy Stull commented that her favorite part of the competition was the fact that she was able to meet new people from different schools.

The BIC community is very proud of this group of GT students for all of their hard work and effort.