Budding young entrepreneursface dragons

Students aged between 11 and 14 from the ‘STEM’ (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Club put their minds to the thorny issue of creating an ecologically friendly product.

The resulting ideas were to be presented to a panel of staff in the style of the television programme ‘Dragons’ Den’.

The students not only had to come up with the idea, but then had to create a working prototype, and a business plan.

The inventive students created products including a solar powered fan hat; a water powered generator for use in the home; and a phone charger making use of the movements made when walking.

The winning entry was created by Year 7 students Sam Burke, Ben Hutchinson, Cormac Murphy, Max Stokes and Joe Wrieden.

Their product, named ‘SkyShark’, is a pair of solar powered, heated ear muffs. The boys created a working prototype which was designed to charge on a purpose built stand containing a solar panel. The ‘Dragons’ felt that the product was not only well designed but that much thought had also been given to the branding, marketing and selling of the product.

The boys delivered a persuasive presentation which won the dragons over.

Chief Dragon, Linda Scott, said “We have been very impressed at the ingenuity of the ideas as well as the amount of work the students have put into the creation and development of these products. Entrepreneurial spirit abounds!”