Culpeper County Public Schools -

On Friday, May 2, 2025, the Entrepreneurial Energy competition (also known as E Squared) finals were held at the Culpeper Technical Education Center (CTEC).  Six teams from Culpeper County High School (CCHS) and Eastern View High School (EVHS) competed for the coveted E Squared championship and $10,000 scholarships for each student on the winning team.

Students prepare for this “Shark Tank-like” competition through the CTE Business/Marketing Management course which is specifically designed for the E Squared competition. The course is taught by Beth Lane and Cathy Uribe at CCHS and Gennifer Brandes and Jon Carter at EVHS. The course consists of a semester-long project where students are randomly put into teams, and each team develops a business plan around a product/service of its choice.  Local community leaders coach each team as they develop a detailed business plan throughout the semester.  Ultimately, the teams present their business plan to a panel of judges also known as “faux venture capitalists.” 

The competition began on April 10, 2025 with twelve teams competing in a preliminary round, also known as “prelims.”  After a day of presentations to the judges, six teams with the highest scores are selected to move on to the final round.  Prelim judges offered feedback and also asked hard questions to prepare students for the next level.

The Finals were held on Friday, May 2, 2025 at CTEC. Teams draw numbers at the beginning to determine the order of the presentations.  Following an impressive round of presentations and judge deliberations, team Orion, from Culpeper County High School was declared the winning team of the 2025 competition. Their concept of an intelligent learning assistant that supports student comprehension through questions, prompts, and progress tracking earned high marks for its innovation, scalability, and social impact.  The team included CCHS students Bryan Balderrama, Allison Ramos, and Sean Rooney and were coached by Sydney Bowyer & Tad Loving.   

In addition to the competition winners, students also have an opportunity to win the Bob Jebson Award.  Students who are selected for this award stand out amongst their peers and their coaches believe that they are very likely to succeed in the business world.  The Bob Jebson Awardees each win an $800 scholarship., the 2025 awardees are Johnathan Johnson, Sean Rooney, Jason Arias, Sedona Altman, Darius Stanley, Sarah Abdul Kadar, Summer Burke Taylor, and Luke Gyory.

Culpeper County Public Schools is grateful for all of the community support that makes the E Squared program possible. The dedicated teachers and community coaches play an essential role in shaping the students’ success. Additional thanks go to Ian Chini, Bo Corbin, and Jon Krawchuck for their support in setting up the stage and sound, and livestreaming the finals. Thank you to the  E Squared Management Team that includes Randi Richards-Lutz, Roque Castro, Sandy Boone, Ashley Carter, Bryce Hardy, Jason Rice, and Patty Singleton for making this event a reality.

Meet the 2025 Finalists

Six teams of finalists presented business ideas they developed over the course of the spring semester.  They worked with coaches to  refine, and prepare their business plans for the preliminary competition, held earlier in April, and ultimately, for the finals.  The 2025 finalists included:

• DigiCapsule: A family memory preservation app.
  Team Members: Luke Gyory, Arya Nameer, Summer Burke-Taylor

  • Coaches: Josh Headley & Jack Flemming
    
    

• FlameBlocker: A wildfire defense sprinkler system.
  Team Members: Alan Hercules, Jair Arias, Lina Ayadi, Carla Torres  

  • Coaches: Raygan Ketterer & Kevin Richards
    
    

• InTuned: A dual-platform for music promotion and distribution.
  Team Members: Jackson Romero , Tatiyana Cummings, Andrew Kube      

  • Coaches: Karen Carroll & Sara Bywaters-Baldwin
    
    

• Lingualens: AI glasses that translate real-time conversations.
  Team Members: Sedona Altman, Darius Stanley , Ivy Hartman   

  • Coaches: Winona Pritts & David Shang
    
    

• Orion: An AI-powered learning assistant promoting critical thinking.
  Team Members: Bryan Balderrama, Sean Rooney, Allison Ramos  

  • Coaches: Sydney Bowyer & Tad Loving
    
    

• SensiCare: A home safety system promoting independence through wearable technology.
  Team Members: Kelley Hutcherson, Jason Arias, Saul Acevedo  

  • Coaches: Raygan Ketterer & Kevin Richards

Meet the Judges 

This year’s judges brought experience across business, government, finance, education, technology, and community leadership:

• Ed Dalrymple, Jr. – President, Dalrymple Holding Corporation; board member across numerous educational and economic organizations.
  
  

• Paige Read – Director, Culpeper Tourism & Town Economic Development; president of the Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations.
  
  

• Raymond C. Knott – Executive VP, Blue Ridge Bank; extensive experience in commercial banking and regional economic development.
  
  

• Xavier Richardson – Executive VP, Mary Washington Healthcare; long-time advocate for educational equity and nonprofit leadership.
  
  

• Sharon Clark – Owner, Pepperberries; involved in numerous civic boards and service initiatives throughout Culpeper.
  
  

• Norm Laudermilch – Chief Information Security Officer, Maxar; leader in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence solutions.

The E Squared program continues to prepare students for success beyond high school by fostering teamwork, confidence, and innovation. It remains a model of career-connected learning in Culpeper County.  For more about the program, visit the Career & Technical Education section of the Culpeper County Public Schools website.