CCSD Students Win Entrepreneur Award For Competition Success

Press release from CCSD:

Oct. 10, 2022

Two Cherokee County School District students have earned an award for their entrepreneurial spirit!

Carmel Elementary School third-grader Ella Richmond and fourth-grader Elizabeth McCloskey today received the 2022 Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Award presented by the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce. The award recognized the outstanding business plan they created for the Chamber’s Lemonade Day Cherokee County summer entrepreneurship program.

Through the program, students in grades 3-5 were invited to learn about business by creating their own lemonade stand – from the business plan to the competition’s sales event. The national program was sponsored locally by Synovus, with First Horizon Bank sponsoring the entrepreneurship award.

Ella and Elizabeth were surprised with the award at the chamber’s Good Morning Cherokee breakfast. They attended thinking their only role was to give a presentation on their Lemonade Day experience, but were surprised with the announcement that they’d earned the award. They each received $50, a new bicycle and an invitation for a private tour of the bank – complete with a visit to the vault.

Each young businesswoman, whose business is named The Strawberry Sisters as it serves up a special strawberry lemonade, spoke to the room filled with several hundred business and community leaders about the lessons learned through running a business.

“It was hard work,” said Elizabeth, noting that they rang up than $200 in sales. “It was worth it. Even though it was hard work, we learned a lot.”

Ella offered advice to the crowd.

“Work hard, have patience and then you’ll find success,” she said. “If you start a business, you can use my advice and always remember: be happy.”

The girls’ families, Carmel ES Principal Kim Hagood and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower attended the presentation.

“Congratulations to Ella and Elizabeth – we’re so proud that they took the initiative to participate, learned from the experience and found success,” Dr. Hightower said. “We look forward to seeing all that they will accomplish in school – and with their business. Thank you to the chamber and to the contest sponsors for making this opportunity available to our students.”

More information about Lemonade Day Cherokee County is online at https://lemonadeday.org/cherokee-county.

This press release was produced by CCSD. The views expressed here are the author's own.