That was a plus. There was more competition. It made it better for all the students who participated. It makes for more excitement any time you have more teams.

She was a super teacher, ... She was so crippled with arthritis that when the students went to the playground, she couldn't go with us, but when we came back in she knew who had misbehaved, who had been fighting. There were lots of teenage boys still at Miller because they were from farming families and had to miss so much school, but those big boys never gave her any trouble. When she sent them to bring her a switch, they knew they'd better not bring her a little one.

Many of the students that come out here take this competition very seriously.

The judges look for students who are not just entering the competition to win a prize, but who are actually willing to start and run the business. Judges see if the proposals make sense and if they have the potential of being successful.

What I enjoy the most is as we're leaving a competition, the students are discussing math, asking questions. It really builds their knowledge, and gives them a chance to work on math in non-traditional ways.

Students can use the competition as a step to starting their business. Most students who entered the competition in the past saw the competition as an opportunity to be motivated by deadlines to prepare their business proposal in an organized fashion and present it to investors.