Students in Kenya Taylor’s Speech Forensics classroom at Chapel Hill High School are stepping 
into the world of entrepreneurship. Together, they are pitching million-dollar, real business world ideas in their very own "Shark Tank" style competition.
The pitch competition is designed to sharpen the communication and business skills of students. As part of the project, students created their own cereal brands from scratch. In addition to crafting their own business plans, each student had the freedom to make a bold and creative cereal product.
To showcase their ideas, students designed custom cereal boxes and presented their pitches to the class. In true Shark Tank fashion, each student stepped into the role of a venture capitalist, creating “shark” personas to evaluate and invest in their peers’ start-up proposals.
The entire experience introduced students to the world of entrepreneurship and encouraged them to be both innovators and investors. Throughout the competition, they learned about product development and usability, company branding and design, and advertising strategies.
“This lesson pushes students to think critically and creatively while practicing real-world marketing and communication skills,” said Kenya Taylor, Speech Forensics teacher and magnet coordinator at Chapel Hill High School. “They’re not just learning how to speak effectively—they’re learning how to build and defend an idea.”
The Shark Tank Sales Pitch Project reflects the Chapel Hill High School Magnet Program’s mission of preparing students for success in speech, debate, and leadership roles by equipping them with the tools to formulate sound arguments, understand counterarguments, and communicate with impact.