Enter the Hornet’s Nest

We love the idea of giving kids a platform to test their knowledge of starting a business, which I think is necessary for our growth and our future,”

Ramon said.

It’s awesome to see the creativity of the mind, people coming together and putting together a project,” Oldenkamp said. “So, I’m excited to see it.”

AZLE —To make a deal with a “Hornet,” Azle students had to put their creativity and confidence to the test.

On Wednesday, May 15, Azle ISD students got to experience a mock version of the television series “Shark Tank,” where they pitched ideas and inventions to local leaders and business owners. The event was the culmination of an 18-week-long project by fourth through sixth grade teams in Azle ISD’s Gifted and Talented Program. From 9 a.m. to noon, students entered the “Hornet’s Nest” to receive spoken and written feedback from the judges and their peers. Each group displayed its pitch using PowerPoint presentations and live demonstrations. At the program’s end, GT teacher Rebecca Windham and instructional coach Breanna Reed announced the top three winners from each participating grade.

“I think it’s great because it lets them utilize some of the things they’ve been learning in school,” Brandon Geary a judge at the event said. “Much of these conversations have been about confidence, how you are feeling, and you can tell some of them are nervous and some of them are really confident in what they’re going to present. I think that makes them proud and at the end of that, that’s what we want.”

Fourth grade winners

• First place: The Perfect Pencil Pouch — Kennedi Brown and Weston Norvell
• Second place: Lunch Land — Aida Buckholt-Ubinger, Jettson Judge and Lane Lindsey
• Third: place: The Fidgets — Brooke Peterson, Parker Porter, Keith Reno and Blakely Sawyer

Fifth grade winners

• First place: Flash-Back — Zoe Brownlee, Addison Greer and Peyten Reavis
• Second place: Travel Buddies — Audree Richardson, Amaya Rodriguez and Zoey Underwood
• Third place: Chill Pillow — Briggs Baker, Ethan Compston, Logan Haiderer and Jacob Lankford

Sixth grade winners

• First place: Pencilman — Wyatt Blackmer, Benjamin Cordova, Levi Gentry and Braulio Lopez
• Second place: Unspillable — Itzel Sanchez and Colt Wright
• Third place: Pet Pack — Jezaymar Gaona, Skye Francois, Brooke Schluter and Lauren Quick