From Water to Fryer

23 April 2013Lindsay B-E, Alex ‘14

Brentwood’s International Rowing Regatta is fast approaching. For students and faculty, this means the return of traditional annual springtime transformations on campus: to host more than 3000 visitors, much in the way of preparation must be done.

Students and faculty collaborate over the course of the weekend to ensure the care and well-being of our guests. It is a chaotic feat to maintain a smoothly operating site when the campus reaches capacity…and then adds more people.

Among these dedicated workers are the Entrepreneurship 12 classes, whose main project of the year is developing and creating a business venture to sell food during Regatta.

“We started with the basics,” one of the teachers, Mr. Colistro, tells me. “What is business? How do you choose a product? What do we need? In late September, we formed groups of four or five students and they were given $5 to establish their business. They used this as a sort of springboard for the main project – which is the regatta.”

“Meanwhile,” Mr. Colistro explains, “between October and March, we’re covering theory. The ‘meat’ of the course is a combination of marketing, accounting and finance, giving them the tools they can apply to be successful.”

This is Mr. Colistro’s first year teaching the course, but when asked how he feels about it, he says, “It’s been an absolute blast. I’ve learned a lot about how Brentwood works and how students interact. The students in my course are quite colourful – it’s never a dull moment with them” he says with a smile.

The students face concerns that businesses in the real world must handle: employment, investment, design, development and intricate planning. Moreover, each group must learn to function as an efficient and co-operative unit while facing excessive tension; long hours and close proximity do not always bode well for everyone.

Fierce competition is not only to be found on the water with the rowers, but on the plaza, in the fryers and on the stoves.

The teams face an arduous second and third term curriculum centered on development of their booth. Though graded on originality and performance, students keep all profit made during the three-day regatta.

“The school only provides rentals, a chance to order products and the opportunity to open a venture,” says one student; all funds come from the team members themselves, or external investors, and the young apprentices have to deal with all of the other challenges.

Between the two classes, there will be nine booths ranging from Western to Oriental delicacies. As always, the food is sure to be delectable. The exotic and the classic foods are sure to entice the famished crowd. Bring your appetites, and your wallets – everyone wins.

Lindsay B-E, Alex ‘14