Wings helps students' business skills take flight Warren Hills teacher honored with award for his class efforts. Monday, January 14, 2008 • By Lynn Olanoff • The Express-Times WASHINGTON TWP., N.J. | Every school day at Warren Hills Regional High School, students are selling bagels and juice. They're also running the school store and producing daily television and radio shows. All while making a profit of $10,000 to $15,000 a year. After 15 years, money isn't the only thing of value the Warren Hills business class known as Wings Inc. has generated. Founding teacher Ralph Fiore recently won a national award for business teachers. The Valley Forge, Pa.-based Freedoms Foundation named Fiore one of its 10 Leavey Award winners for 2008. Thomas and Dorothy Leavey, founders of the Farmers insurance company, sponsor the award. Fiore was selected from among about 100 applications, Freedoms Foundation Director of Educational Programs Carolyn Santangelo said. Fiore receives $7,500 for winning. "We are looking for teachers who are creative and out of the box and basically inspiring their students to learn more about wanting to be entrepreneurs," Santangelo said. Six businesses are run simultaneously through Wings. In addition to the above-mentioned businesses, the students also produce a monthly newsletter and run three vending machines. Tuesday afternoon, several students were calling local businesses seeking advertisements for the Wings shows or newsletter. Another group was attempting to reinstall the wheels on a cart so the school store could be reopened. Next-door, the next day's morning announcements television show was being edited. "The kids are actually doing work they would do in real life," said Fiore, a Warren Hills teacher since 1979. "It's hands-on experience you can't get from a book." Fogelsville, Pa.-based Charter Partners Foundation nominated Fiore for the Leavey Award. The group encourages high school students to become entrepreneurs, and its founder, Todd Welch, proposed the idea of Wings to Fiore when he was a local insurance broker. "Educators frequently don't get recognized for their hard work, and we know what fabulous work he has done," Charter program director Meg Tully said of Fiore. The Wings students also have high praise for Fiore's class. "It really prepares you for college and your future," said senior Nicole Maione, who plans to study marketing next year in college. "It really teaches you to be independent." In addition to the overall profit that goes toward scholarships and new equipment, Wings students also have a chance to make money of their own. Radio team members who perform as disc jockeys at outside events get a cut of the fee and all students make 10 percent of any advertisements sold. Sales team leader Rick Ramos has made about $100 this year. "It's a lot of fun, and you get to make some money, too," he said of the class. Reporter Lynn Olanoff can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by e-mail at lolanoff@express-times.com.