Every student that has taken the Economics elective at Nazareth has in some way, shape, or form had to complete and present the “Build-Your-Own-Business” project required by Mr. Gonzalez.

But this year’s project took a different turn.

Rather than just using poster boards to display their projects, students were able to take full advantage of the many Google Apps offered to create their own business website. Apps such as Floorplanner, LogoMaker, Picasa, and Wevideo took this year’s projects to a whole new level.

“Going into it I thought it’d be challenging”, remarked senior Vince Moskos, “But all the technology made it easier. I’m usually not a big fan of technology but it made this project simpler.”

The students spent all of the week before last in the computer lab creating and designing their websites. All of the websites featured the name, logo, business location, some sort of floor plan, menu or inventory list, demographics, survey, employee qualifications, etc.

There was a wide range of business ideas showed, ranging from a miniature golf course, to a make-your-own-nail-polish salon. Kasey Schaffer, co-creator of The Pizza Spot, had much to say regarding her experience with the project: “What I liked the most was that I got to create my own website from scratch with my own ideas about something that I love the most which is food. And overall I learned that a huge amount of time goes into creating a website for a business and it’s harder than it looks!”

And to top it all, the project gained the notice of the local paper The Doings. As each group presented last Monday during their Economics class, reporter Jane Michaels sat and observed the presentations–all the while taking notes, snapping pictures, and interviewing various students.

Economics teacher Mr. Gonzalez created the project because he “wanted the students to have the opportunity to express creatively online while launching ideas in a public setting and learning the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of business”. When asked about his reaction to finding out his students would be featured in the local paper, he answered: “I was extremely excited! Great press for great kids!”

So although every year students have come up with great ideas for businesses, this year’s projects definitely left a memorable legacy for future projects to follow!