By Kevin Herrera
Daily Press Staff Writer

SHANGHAI, CHINA — Members of Santa Monica High School’s Project Echo — a year-long course that teaches students how to create their own businesses — showed the world last week that they are the next generation of Donald Trumps by taking home top honors in the SAGE World Cup, an international competition here that tested the teens’ entrepreneurial acumen.

Judges from across the globe found Samohi students to be the best of the best and awarded them the gold trophy that comes along with the distinction of being the 2006 world champions of SAGE, beating out eight other teams from countries like South Africa, Ghana, Russia and Kazakhstan.

SAGE, which stands for “Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship,” is an international network that links secondary school student organizations to mentors from local universities and businesses. The mission of SAGE is to advance entrepreneurship education and community service-learning across the world, emphasizing ethical business practices, social responsibility, civic engagement and environmental awareness.

In the competition, members of SAGE judge high school teams based on entrepreneurship, community outreach, civic engagement, environmental responsibility, use of college mentors and use of a business advisory board. Following a presentation, judges ask questions of the student presenters to test their problem-solving skills and abilities to think on the fly.

Instead of just learning how to write a business plan, students put their newly acquired knowledge to use by operating their own businesses, such as a cafe on campus or selling cookies to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Starting next school year, Project Echo members will open Vike’s, a soup, salad and sandwich bar on campus, featuring a low-calorie menu that also offers 100 percent fruit juices with no added sugar.

The Samohi victory represents the second time a team representing the United States has won the cup. In 2002, a team from Fremont High School in Oakland took top honors. Ukraine, which came in second, was the defending champion.

“I’ve gotten to know the Santa Monica High School students well through the SAGE competition and they are outstanding role models for all high school students, not just in the U.S., but around the world,” said Curt DeBerg, the founder of SAGE and a business professor at Chico State University.

“They have a great chance of winning it all again next year, but that will depend on how creative they can be and whether or not some of the seniors return as college mentors,” DeBerg added.

In addition to competing, Samohi students had the opportunity to travel Shanghai and introduce themselves to foreign cultures. They also shared some American traditions, including the Electric Slide, according to student Chris Peterson.

“We toured the city, went to a museum, the Yuyuan Garden, a silk-making factory, took a tour of McDonald’s and (saw) a really cool acrobatic show,” Peterson wrote in an e-mail two days after the event, which concluded Sunday. “The food was … different, to say the least. Coke tastes different. It’s nothing like the Panda Express of the United States. The culture is different, as well. Everybody works, it’s like work ethic is in their blood. We passed this place the first night that some people were working on. There was nothing inside of it, just people and lights at work. The next day, it was a shoe store, open and ready for business.

“I have so much respect for the other teams for all the hard work they put in to get them to the final competition and I especially have respect for the entire SAGE organization,” Peterson added. “I think it’s a great opportunity for high school students to show their entrepreneurship skills and I am really honored to have been introduced to such an organization.”

The journey began earlier this year when the Project Echo team took first prize in the state competition, held in Chico. They then went on to compete in the national competition in Brooklyn, NY., where they were once again crowned champions. With help from the City Council, parents and community members, they were able to raise enough money to make the trip to China.

“I hope we’ve brought more pride to the city of Santa Monica, the high school, the supporters, everyone,” Peterson wrote.

DeBerg, who founded SAGE four years ago, said the goals of the competition are to empower youth to create business ventures by using tools learned in the classroom. It is also meant to build self-esteem and provide youth with the confidence they need to succeed.

Project Echo, which was founded in 1995, requires that all team spend a minimum of 47 hours outside of class working on environmental and community service projects.

“I’ve grown so close to my SAGE team members since Chico,” Peterson said. “I’ve spent more time with them than anyone else … So now what? China was the last time I’m going to see any of the team since I’m leaving (for college) in a few weeks. We’re all going our separate ways. I can’t believe it’s over.

“It was such a great ride, I just don’t know if I’m ready to get off.”