More than 200 youngsters are setting up lemonade stands across the island this week to put some flavour into business education in schools.

The middle school pupils will make and sell their recipes and went head to head in a taste test yesterday at the launch of Lemonade Day at City Hall.

Sandys Secondary Middle School pupils, who made loquat, mulberry, blueberry and traditional lemonades, won the competition, which involved all four government middle schools.

Ta’Zaiyah Kelly, 12, said the Sandys team used a range of real fruit flavours to create their drinks.

He added: “It feels good. We are like teen entrepreneurs. We are getting into real business.

Team-mate Michael Scott added: “It feels good. I didn’t expect this, but I knew the flavours were good.”

Nkenge Warren-Swan, a business studies teacher at the school, said: “We were pleasantly surprised. I didn’t tell them it was a contest; I told them they were going for tasting because I didn’t want that to get in the way.”

She said the students were delighted to be taking part in Lemonade Day.

Ms Warren-Swan added: “It has excited them. Everybody now wants to taste their lemonade.”

She said other pupils at the school now wanted to get involved in similar business activities.

Ms Warren-Swan added: “It’s a good experience for all.”

Lemonade Day, which will be held on Friday, is the first event in a joint effort by the Department of Education and the Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative to improve business education courses.

Kalmar Richards, the Commissioner of Education, said the programme was designed to boost employability, entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy and other life skills.

Ms Richards added: “The skills that the children will learn through this programme and other curriculums that are going to be introduced through the Youth Business Education Initiative will empower our students through access and exposure to best practice enterprise education and experiences.”

She added that the initiative was also designed to also inspire faculty and staff from the school system to innovate and create new courses and to become leaders in innovation for the economy.

Ms Richards said the business community had also backed Lemonade Day, which was “exactly what Bermuda needs to prepare our youth for a meaningful and productive future”.

Bill Euler, a business studies teacher at Clearwater Middle School, said Lemonade Day was a great way to help pupils start their own businesses

He added: “My objective for my business class is that when school is out, everyone will have a business.”

Tracy Hayward, a business teacher at Dellwood Middle School, said her pupils, who created six different flavours of lemonade, were learning customer service and teamwork.

She added: “They had to work together to come up with the names. They have done an excellent job in the time they were given.”

Alexxis Smith, a Dellwood pupil, said: “I’m looking forward to Friday. I’m not nervous at all ... we are working as a group to make this lemonade and it is going to turn out good.”

TN Tatem Middle School pupils were also confident they will do well on Friday.

Zahriah Outerbridge said: “I feel excited, I want to see how it turns out.”

Lemonade Day is one of the largest youth entrepreneurship educational programmes in North America, with more than a million young people running businesses.

The stands will be set up at Rubis gas stations and other locations.

Sandys Secondary Middle School will set up at Rubis Boaz Island and The Marketplace, both in Somerset. TN Tatum Middle School will be at Rubis Warwick.

Dellwood Middle School will set up shop at Rubis St John’s Road, Pembroke, HSBC Harbourview Centre and HSBC on Church Street, both Hamilton.

Clearwater Middle School will be at the Rubis Causeway service station, Rubis Dowling’s service station and at the taxi stand at LF Wade International Airport.

• To read the 2019 Lemonade Day Bermuda proclamation, click on the PDF link under “Related Media”