Two Santa Monica High School teachers, Teri Jones and Anita Kemp, are among 15 educators from across the country to receive 2005 Leavey Awards for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education, sponsored by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
The Leavey Awards, funded by a permanent endowment from the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation, are based on the belief that “one of America’s most fundamental strengths is its competitive private enterprise economic system….[and] seek to recognize educators who excel in teaching the concepts of individual opportunity and incentive in order to foster understanding and enthusiasm among young people for the value of free enterprise in a democracy.”
Winners receive $7,500. Jones and Kemp’s award-winning entry, “Project ECHO,” was one of 13 selected this year by an independent jury of economic, business and academic leaders.”Project ECHO,” one of the Regional Occupational Programs offered through Los Angeles County, engages 11th and 12th grade students in entrepreneurial learning through the operation of two on-campus businesses: the Vikes’ Inn and the Vikes’ Café. Students in the program also take part in business competitions and conferences, and have real-world experiences.
