Local students place nationally in free enterprise competition

sparta-Michele Barone of Sparta and Kyra Psaroudis of Hamburg were among the 13-student Centenary College team that was the second runner-up in the quarterfinal round at the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) National Competition in Kansas City, Mo. It was also the ninth year that Centenary has been a regional champion and finalist in the Polsky Personal Investing for Financial Freedom Competition. The quarterfinal bracket in which Centenary competed included the eventual national champion, Flagler College of Saint Augustine, Fla. SIFE is a non-profit organization that promotes leadership development through outreach projects. It teaches diverse groups, such as children and senior citizens, how to market and operate businesses. The judging panel consists of the nation's top business leaders and entrepreneurs. More than 800 colleges in the United States and 1,500 worldwide participate in SIFE. To qualify for the National Competition, the Centenary College team won the Northeast Regional Competition in Hartford, Connecticut in April. Each team was required to present projects that addressed creative and effective teaching of all age groups in four areas: How Free Markets Work in the Global Economy, How Businesses Operate, The Personal Entrepreneurial: Communications, Technology and Financial Management Skills Needed to Successfully Compete, and Practicing Business in an Ethical and Socially Responsible Manner. Centenary's 2003-2004 team comprised of 150 students from around the world. In the 12 years since SIFE was formed on the Centenary campus, this was the largest group of individuals to participate in this p