A new program beginning this fall at Whitefish High School aims to not only inspire, but also assist a group of students on their journey to becoming entrepreneurs.

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy program takes students through the process of starting and launching a real business during the course of a school year.

Superintendent Kate Orozco said the YEA! program will open another door for real life experiences for students.

“Whitefish School District proudly supports this exciting new opportunity for advancing the business education of our students,” Orozco said. “The YEA! curriculum clearly develops quality students who are passionate about business and learning, and we are thrilled to support this sort of career-readiness in our students.”

Chris Hyatt, a former Whitefish city councilor and member of the business community, will serve as program manager. Hyatt said he was impressed with the program when Whitefish Chamber of Commerce director Kevin Gartland first contacted him about it.

“I like kids who are entrepreneurs — whether it be kids selling lemonade on Labrie Drive or two graduates operating a lawn mowing business,” Hyatt said.

Whitefish is the first place in the state to have a YEA! program, which began in 2004 at the University of Rochester and today has thousands of student participants.

Hyatt said he will call on his contacts in the business community to work with students throughout the extra-curricular course that will begin in November.

“The caliber of individuals that we have working or have retired here is amazing,” he said. “Those will be the people we will be asking to be speakers, mentors and to help with the program.”

YEA! is open to 24 students between the ages of 11 and 18, who will have to apply and interview, for a spot in the program. Those selected will spend 30 weeks creating a business idea, drafting a business plan and learning how to pitch their idea. At the end of the course, they will present their business to a group of investors who could help fund their idea.

“We greatly appreciate what YEA! will bring to the students in our community, the leaders of our future,” Kevin Gartland said. “The program will not only provide classes and practical work experience with professionals, but it will also teach participants how to live and breathe as a real entrepreneur.”

Students will work with local business and community leaders, along with educators, who will demonstrate how to create a business. By the end of the class, students will own and operate a fully-formed and functioning business, which can be carried on after the program.

An information session on the Young Entrepreneurs Academy will be Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at WHS.