Life lessons at virtual company

Business at Atlantis Desalination in Costa Mesa was humming as usual Friday morning.

The marketing department was working on a new catalog, while human resources translated its employee manual into Spanish.

Staffers sported dark blue button-down shirts emblazoned with the company’s logo; executives wore business suits.

But none of this company’s employees expected a paycheck that day — or ever. Atlantis is a virtual company run completely by high school students, in a Virtual Enterprise class.

“This is the third class in a three-year sequence of the business academy at Costa Mesa High School,” teacher Michael Sciacca said.

The school-within-a-school academy is geared toward at-risk students, a category defined by socioeconomic status, parental level of education or other criteria.

The benefits gained from it are tangible. Chief Financial Officer Patty Figueroa, 17, just got her first college acceptance letter in the mail.

The company was the first ever from Orange County to place in a statewide competition earlier this month, and will go on to a national competition in New York City in March.

Fourteen weeks ago, Sciacca said, students were pitching ideas for the class to pursue as a virtual business. Plans for an organic restaurant and a drive-in movie theater briefly held students’ attention, but the water desalination concept stood out.

After the business idea was selected, students began interviewing for positions within the company.

“It was a great real-word experience,” Sciacca said.

The students were hired based on how well they fared in their high-pressure interview and were assigned to one of six departments: human resources, marketing, public relations, information technology, accounting and banking.

Jazmin Reyes became the chief executive, and reports to Sciacca. He instructs her and her team to handle absentees and tardy students, as well as students in need of discipline.

The students have spoken with water treatment and business experts to improve their knowledge base.

The owner of an Edible Arrangements franchise offered to help them with their business plan.

“That’s been the critical component,” Sciacca said. “The standards the competitions hold these kids to are pretty close to real-world standards.”

At the competition in Bakersfield, the “company” presented its business plan in four rounds of judging, where they ranked fourth out of 160.

When his students won, he played “New York, New York” for them.

“At first, they didn’t know what it was,” he said. “Then they heard the chorus and freaked out.”

Other accolades came for the company’s website, newsletter and human resources manual. At a trade fair, the company tried to earn virtual dollars from other students.

Fees for the New York competition are expected to be about $1,700 per teen. Some of the students never have flown on a plane before. One of them is Jazmin.

“Is an airplane scarier than an elevator?” Jazmin asked Sciacca. “I hate elevators.”

Kids Talk Back

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in this process?

“I think it’s really interesting how real business has become for me. It’s all I think about now.”

— Danielle Bowen

“Actually coming up with a business idea, and being given the opportunity to do something and take it so seriously.”

— Jazmin Reyes

“I never really knew how important it was to rely on everyone.”

— Patty Figueroa

“I learned how much work you have to put into business.”

— Sean Alfi

“I learned that accounting is really hard, and that you have to put a lot of details into it.”

— Juan Farias

How To Help

For information on how to contribute to the students’ trip to the national competition in New York City, contact Michael Sciacca at (714) 424-8700 or msciacca@nmusd.us.