Photo by Craig Stanley

James House, middle left, shows Joshua House, left, Charlotte House, middle right, and Jeremiah House, right, a display board for a mock business created by his son Antarious House, during Thursday's BizCamp business plan competition at Crescent High School in Iva.

A boy who is 4 feet 8 inches tall presented his larger-than-life plans for a new cow-trading Web site on Thursday at Anderson BizCamp’s Business Plan Competition

Eleven students from Starr-Iva Middle School presented their business plans at Crescent High School in Iva after participating in Anderson BizCamp, a three-week summer program designed to show young people how to make money and become financially dependent.

Carter Wilson, 12, the second-place winner overall on Thursday, came up with the idea of FarmBoySC.com, an online marketplace where local farmers could buy and sell cattle.

Aimee Gray, the National Federation of Teaching Entrepreneurship Certified Entrepreneruship Teacher of the Year, was hand-picked to instruct the summer program. The students received a crash course in marketing, entrepreneurship and economic principles while participating in enjoyable activities, Gray said.

“I had to figure out a way to make learning fun,” she said. “The most important thing was for the kids to realize they can be successful with the resources they have. A lot of kids think they can only go so far in life, but they have the ability within themselves to start a business and become financially independent.”

The students who participated in the program had been recommended by teachers and counselors at Starr-Iva Middle.

The competition prizes were $250, $150, $100 and $75. At the closing ceremony, all 11 participants were awarded with $50 each.

Amanda Powell, 14, was the competition winner, with a business concept for “Teen Everworld,” an international Web site specifically designed for teens and adults to become socially interactive and show off their creativity.

“I’ve always wanted to make a MySpace, but I couldn’t because my mom wouldn’t let me, so I created a safer site,” said Powell, who is headed to Crescent as a student in the fall.“Through this camp, I have learned never to give up, and if I have an idea, I shouldn’t be afraid to try it out,” Powell said. “As teens, we don’t know our full potential, but we can do so much if we just think about it.”