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# Coming ‘round again
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/coming-round-again/
- Published: 2006-04-29T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:40:34.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Echo team shoots for Shanghai after second-place finish in ’05*

SAMOHI — This was the last place one would expect students to be during spring break, but there they were, eight budding entrepreneurs huddled together in front of a row of computers.

They could have been lounging at the beach or cruising the mall like many of their classmates, but the students enrolled in Santa Monica High School’s entre-prenuership program Project Echo decided to spend the lion’s share of their vacation preparing for today’s SAGE competition in Chico, Calif., where students from across the state present business plans with the hope of being crowned the world’s bright-est entrepreneurs.

“We’re really anxious to get up there and do something big; put Samohi on the map,” said Project Echo student Doug Monroy, 18, as he and his teammates last week put the finishing touches on their business portfolio and presentation. “We won second place last year, but we were so close to winning that we have high hopes of taking the prize home this year.”

If Project Echo students pull out a victory, they will not only win $4,000, they’ll also go on to the national competition in New York City in May. If they win there, they’ll then fly to Shanghai in August, where they will compete in the SAGE World Cup.

“We really want to go to China. That would be incredible,” said student Chris Peterson, 17.

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. Its purpose is to advance global entrepreneurship in an ethical and socially-responsible manner.

Project Echo has similar goals in mind. But 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, Vike’s — a soup, salad and sandwich bar on campus — will feature a low-calorie menu offering 100 percent fruit juices with no added sugar.

“It’s pretty intense,” Peterson said of Project Echo’s curriculum and requirements, which include spending a minimum of 47 hours outside of class working on environmental and community service projects, among others. “But if you have that motivation and desire, this class is for you. Instead of just sitting in a classroom all day, you’re getting practical, hands-on experience, which has helped me become confident in what I want to do in life — running my own business.”

Project Echo was founded in 1995, but the ball really didn’t start rolling until the following year, when students opened up a cafe on campus and non profits began donating time and money to the project, said Teri Jones, Project Echo Instructor.

“We’ve grown tremendously over the years,” Jones said of the class. “When we started out we had about 40 students. Now we have closer to 75 students, with the capacity to serve 90.”

Jones said before the students took over operation of the student store, total sales reached $20,000\. This year, Project Echo expects to gross over $125,000, and the student-run cafe, which sells only caffeine-free drinks, has tripled in sales since students took over management.

“Beyond that, the entreprenuership program has increased student empowerment, self-esteem and school spirit throughout the entire campus, as well as linked students to a strong curriculum in entreprenuership. As a teacher, I have seen their level of enthusiasm for school rise along with their confidence and their ability to recognize how academics play in their lives.”

Having worked out a profit-sharing agreement with the school district, students who participate in Project Echo can also earn a scholarship for college. Anita Kemp, a Project Echo instructor, said the school is able to give away up to $10,000 a year in scholarships to Echo students who apply.

Those who have been through the course say it has changed their lives dramatically. Former students like Zehra Karim, 19, often find time to come back to campus to help younger students.

“In school you learn how to add and subtract, but here you have to apply it. It’s completely different than anything out there,” said Karim, a student at Santa Monica College who is transferring to USC in the fall. “It’s really amazing. You learn life-long skills, patience, teamwork and how to deal with a crisis. They are basic, but crucial skills.”

Angelina Resendez, 17, a Project Echo student, said she discovered a newfound appreciation for those working behind the counter of her favorite restaurants after having spent a semester managing the campus cafe.

“I started out working at the student store and then I moved up to cafe manager, where I learned how to handle money, take inventory, make sure no one is coming up short at their registers,” Resendez said. “It was a lot of work, but it was fun. You get to learn first-hand about finances, marketing. I recommend this not just for those who want to go into business when they graduate, but really for everybody.”

Jones said the SAGE competition is an extension of Echo in that it forces students to use all of the skills they’ve learned during the course, as well as those they’ve picked up in other classes, such as how to use proper grammar.

“You can’t just go up there and say ‘That was bomb,’” Jones said. “They have to sit down and do the math, do the research, and they have. They’ve gone well above and beyond. They are doing all this on their own. Every single student has taken the time from their spring break to come in here and work sometimes 8 or 10 hours a day preparing for SAGE, and I think they are doing a great job.”

> “You can’t just go up there and say ‘That was bomb.’” — TERI JONES Project Echo Instructor

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 29, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042906.pdf?ref=smdp.com)