Fresh off competing in the Virtual Enterprises (VE) Western Regional Trade Show recently, students from Fruitvale Junior High had another opportunity to put their business skills to the test — pitching their company and product to Kern County Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Mendiburu during a recent visit to their campus.
This year marks the first time Fruitvale Junior High has participated in the Virtual Enterprise program — a program typically introduced at the high school level — and students are already stepping into roles that mirror the professional world.
The Halo Case
“In a Virtual Enterprise (VE) classroom, students move beyond memorization to master high-level workplace competencies,” said Fruitvale’s Virtual Enterprise teacher Cari Walker. “The shift from a ‘student’ to an ‘employee’ mindset fundamentally changes how these skills are developed compared to a traditional classroom.”
What began as a brand-new opportunity quickly turned into an award-winning experience. During Dr. Mendiburu’s recent visit to the campus, students proudly shared highlights from their first competition.
Their product, the Halo Case, is a subscription-based service that allows users to change the design of their phone case without purchasing multiple cases. By offering a single case with interchangeable designs, the students aimed to provide a stylish alternative that is more environmentally sustainable, reducing the number of discarded phone cases that typically end up in landfills.
The class earned multiple first and second place awards and generated nearly $33,000 in sales during the regional competition — an impressive accomplishment for a team navigating the competitive business simulation for the first time.
But their journey wasn’t without challenges.
During one competition, the team lost nearly 50 sales due to technical difficulties and several transactions that were not recorded. For many first-year programs, that kind of setback could have been discouraging. Instead, the students regrouped and worked together to quickly recover a majority of their sales.
“In a Virtual Enterprise (VE) classroom, students move beyond memorization to master high-level workplace competencies.”
– Cari Walker, Fruitvale’s Virtual Enterprise teacher.
Before reaching the competition stage, students first had the opportunity to test their skills at smaller events. Earlier in the academic year, the class participated in a mini trade show at CTEC, where middle school and high school teams bought and sold products with one another in a simulated business environment.
At many established programs, students may inherit a product idea developed by the previous year’s class, allowing them to focus primarily on refining their sales and marketing strategies. However, as a first-year program, the students at Fruitvale had to develop their product and skills from the ground up.
Rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, the team embraced the challenge.
The hands-on experience also changed many students’ perceptions of what they initially expected from the course.
“It is much different than what I thought it was going to be,” said Desiree, an eighth grader. “But it ended up being so much fun.”
Kensely, also in eighth grade, admitted she underestimated the rigor of the class.
“This course is much different from what I thought it was going to be,” she said. “I thought it would be easier, but I love it so much more because we get to do something different every day.”
Despite the challenges they faced during competitions, events, and even team practices, Kensely says the class has learned to rely on one another.
“We all help each other out,” she said.
The program is already shaping how students see their futures. Through field trips to Centennial High School, students observed how Virtual Enterprise continues at the high school level, where juniors and seniors can participate in the program.
Walker says the experience is already making a noticeable impact on her students.
“Overall, their public speaking has improved tremendously,” Walker said. “Some of my quieter students have stepped up as leaders and taken charge of their departments. I’ve even had students who once questioned why I chose them for leadership roles ask to interview for CEO positions next year.”
Walker says those moments are exactly what the program is designed to create — opportunities for students to grow, take ownership, and experience the realities of teamwork and leadership in a workplace environment.
“It’s been really rewarding to watch my students grow through real-world experiences,” she said.
