Article by Phoenix Writer Zoe Argenziano ’27
Kellenberg’s Business and Finance club had the pleasure of returning to Adelphi University’s Annual Apprentice Challenge: an amazing opportunity for high schoolers to expand their knowledge and test their business skills. Students are given a real life situation and have to work wi
th each other to provide a solution through their group presentation.
This year, Kellenberg came back for the challenge. Jovia Bank sponsored the event and invented games and activities related to financial literacy for teenagers. Ten students from Kellenberg attended the challenge on Friday, November 7th, where they were sorted randomly into about fifty teams. The fellow students in their groups were not just Catholic school students or from Nassau County— they were from different schools across all of Long Island.
Their presentations were made completely on their own, to simulate being in the workplace and working in a professional team. “They spent over six hours formulating a marketing plan to present to Jovia, a real bank firm, which is quite impressive for high schoolers,” Mr. Heitner, one of the Business and Finance club directors says. “These students took time out of their busy school days to attend. Many high school students wouldn’t do that, so I give props to them.” Kellenberg juniors are also given the opportunity to take a Financial Literacy course, and this event gives them the opportunity to test what they have learned.
The Adelphi Apprentice Challenge is part of Adelphi University’s High School Special Event Series. Annual events like the Apprentice Challenge, A Day with the Arts, Press Day, Women in STEM day, and many more aim to open up high schoolers to real world experiences through guest speakers, games, and presentations. The Apprentice challenge last year was to develop ideas to promote and support women in sports. This year’s aim was quite different. Adelphi wanted to show the diversity of topics that they seek to cover in order for high school students to get the widest possible exposure to different perspectives.
Opportunities like this make Kellenberg Memorial High School thrive. Kellenberg seeks to develop students beyond standard academics and faith with interactive experiences to increase student’s critical thinking skills. Kellenberg was honored to attend the event and anticipates attending similar events to these in the near future.
