Birmingham Students Show Presentation Skills, Gain Praise from Condoleezza Rice
Six teams of Birmingham Middle School students came to Regions Bank downtown Monday with plans for big business. The Huffman Middle School team of seventh graders left with the prize, and all the students received high praise from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who grew up in Birmingham schools.
The students spent months prepping for the pitch – learning about business, planning, and presentation in the style of the popular television show “Shark Tank.” This was their chance to sell a concept and show their skills to business, school and government leaders.
“Have you, any of you, ever had a family member or close friend dying of cancer, and you were staying at a hotel or with a friend that wasn’t close by? Do you regret not being close to their resting place?” asks Katherine Anderson. She stated her team’s case for a new hotel resort and cancer treatment center. The idea is to take care of family and caregivers while their loved ones receive treatment.
Student JaMaya Jackson made the final appeal.
“Sharks, the life of a loved one is priceless. We are asking for $500,000 for half of our company. We’ll use flyers, websites and billboards to get our company’s name out,” she says. “Don’t you want to be a part of this?”
Secretary Rice was impressed.
“It’s hard to get up in front of a group and sell your ideas. And somebody among this group is really going to be a great entrepreneur,” she says. “You could see that they loved it. They are passionate about it.”
A total of 26 students from throughout the school system participated in the Monday’s event. The earlier rounds of the competition and training included about 400 students, says Andrew Mitchell of the Birmingham Education Foundation.
The team from Huffman Middle School netted a $1,000 grant from Regions Bank, one of the sponsors of the program.
Trent Dilfer fired as UAB’s football coach
UAB has lost three straight, leaving it 9-21 in 2 1/2 seasons under Dilfer. The Blazers were 4-8 in 2023 and 3-9 last year.
Amid shutdown, Trump administration guts department overseeing special education
Multiple sources tell NPR that, as part of the Trump administration's latest reduction-in-force, the U.S. Department of Education has gutted the office that handles special education.
She was about to drop out of college, but then her professor stepped in
Midway through her first semester of college, Silvana Clark realized she didn't have enough money to finish the year. Then, her drama professor stepped in.
In a major milestone, Hamas begins releasing final Israeli hostages
Hamas on Monday began releasing the final Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza, a major milestone in the efforts to end the devastating two years of war in the Palestinian territory.
Pastors and staff from underground church are arrested in China
China has in recent years arrested and detained Christian leaders of underground churches, who are not registered with the government and under its control.
U.S. measles cases continue to climb, with outbreaks across the country
In South Carolina, more than 150 unvaccinated schoolkids are under quarantine after being exposed to measles. Across the U.S., total case counts could be even higher than the official number.
