SCH Wins Big with High-Tech Solutions for Safety and Wellness

For the second consecutive year, SCH students have secured the top spot in the Philadelphia Eagles and Firstrust Bank "Entrepreneurs Game Plan" competition. Three SCH entrepreneurs walked away with a combined $3,000 in funding to fuel their innovative ventures.

Juniors Ryleigh Bakley and Penelope Rice, who won the CEL Dr. Sands Entrepreneurial Mindset Award last year, earned the first-place prize of $2,500 for Fragrance Fan, a mobile scented diffuser designed to plug directly into a smartphone’s charging port. 

“Penny and Ryleigh started Fragrance Fan in my 9th-grade CEL Product Design Studio, and from the get-go, they were focused and dedicated to their idea,” said CEL teacher Juliet Fajardo, who added that they continued to work on their project through sophomore year. “Not only did they have a great idea, but hard work and unwavering focus made the difference. I couldn’t be prouder!” 

Sophomore Ian Kim received an Honorable Mention and a $500 award for Iris, a smart sensor engineered to enhance pedestrian safety for individuals with disabilities. Junior Reagan Snyderman was an original finalist for Hidden Hand, a line of therapeutic weighted playing cards, but was unable to attend the event. Last year, Ayana Banks, now a senior, won first for her Sweet Dream Project.

To reach the winner's circle, teams submitted comprehensive 10-page business plans and pitched their ventures at Lincoln Financial Field. The high-stakes panel included executives from the Philadelphia Eagles and Firstrust Bank, as well as former Eagles wide receiver and entrepreneur Jason Avant. 

“Ryleigh and Penny really shined as presenters, enthusiastically and confidently covering all the facets of their product-level financials, customer research, and competitive landscape,” said CEL teacher Scott Kirker. “Ian wowed the audience with his engineering skills and his passion for making the world safer for the disabled. We're super proud of them, as well as all the other students who submitted ventures!”

The girls were thrilled to win the top prize, they said, "because it is a reflection of our hard work these past few weeks and a testament to the amazing help that we have gotten from our teachers in the CEL program. It has made us realize that people are actually interested in our fan and this fuels our passion for the project even more." 

Kim, who said he was grateful to his engineering teachers, Daniel Jacobs and Corey Kilbane, for their mentorship, won the CEL Resourcefulness prize this past fall. He noted that the "Game Plan" experience was as much about validation as it was about the prize.

“This win is very meaningful to me because this project was very challenging, as I had to plan and actually invent an electronic device,” said Kim. “I felt my project was truly recognized when I received the prize. I was very happy that my project could reach out and have a positive impact on the community.”