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SBHS JA sudents won second place in Broward County JA Fellowship Competition.

This past summer, SBHS Junior Achievement (JA) students took second place at the JA Fellowship Competition in Broward County with their NuCool headband. Leaving a competition with a trophy in hand and the opportunity for Nationals.

NuCool, the headband that stays cool for an hour after immersion in water, is a product that was created by students apart of the business class of JA Entrepreneurship at South Broward High School.

Students got the idea after talking with athletes in the class. Who wanted a way to curb the problems caused by the severe heat from playing outdoor sports. IE; heat exhaustion, heat cramps, etc. The product NuCool took two months to develop. In this time frame the name came to be because of the Egyptian Goddess of water NU. The creative side of the team formed a water drop of the name NU, placing the N ,with the exception of the last stick of the letter, and the U the water drop was created thus creating the logo.

 “The five judges in the room made it seem as if it was an episode on Shark Tank,” Ms. Sonia Arteche, a US history teacher and sponsor of the JA Fellowship program at SBHS.

The national competition included seventy seven students nationwide. Some of the states that attended the competition were California, Texas, and Minnesota. In this competition, all students needed to present their product to a panel of judges. Schools all across the nation brought their best product to the table. One school created a game to teach blockchain, a computer term that means “to secure bank related issues.” Another competitor created a seed bomb, its purpose is that once planted it would attract bees to increase pollination.

In the national competition, South Broward did not take a prize home but in the Broward Schools competition they left with second place in hand, and a trophy to show for it. Although there were no cash prizes, the pride and accomplishment is a prize that no one can take away.

Winning filled the students and the teacher with the joy and pride of their work and for making it so far.

“I was so proud of my students and what they were able to accomplish,” said Ms. Arteche.

For this year the SBHS JA students plan to continue to sell their original product at school and online. Next year, they will attend the 2019 JA competition with the same product but with improved packaging.