Baldwin High School Virtual Enterprise Teams Earn National Recognition

Baldwin High School's Virtual Enterprise (VE) program is celebrating a year of historic achievement following the establishment of two new student-led firms in the fall—CleanVista and Dorms Deluxe.

Through the VE coursework, students in the Global Business and Entrepreneurship Academy receive practical experience by launching and managing simulated businesses. They take on such leadership roles as CEO, finance manager, and marketing director, managing all facets of company operations. Throughout the school year, they compete against other districts in local, regional, and national events, which consist of conferences and trade shows.

This year, the student-led companies introduced some unique services to the market. CleanVista offers eco-friendly cleaning solutions tailored for busy families and professionals, while Dorms Deluxe provides comprehensive college move-in, move-out, and storage services, making dorm life convenience and affordability.

Both businesses achieved notable success this year. Most recently, CleanVista and Dorms Deluxe advanced to the final round of the national Virtual Enterprise competitions following their success in the Business Plan and Human Resources categories in the previous conference.

The final competition, the Youth Business Summit 2026, took place at New York City’s Javits Center and features nine competitive opportunities for VE students, including the National Business Plan Competition, National Finance Competition, National Human Resources Competition, National Marketing Competition, Financial Literacy Challenge, AI Challenge, Global Innovation Challenge, Social Media Marketing, Best Booth Competition and Sales Pitch Competition.

Other accolades earlier in the year included CleanVista ranking in the “Top 25 Percent” nationally in the Elevator Pitch competition, and Dorms Deluxe placing in the “Top 10 Percent” nationally in the Company Branding competition in February. CleanVista also received an “Honorable Mention” at the national level in Company Branding. Overall, both businesses gave a stellar performance at every competition and opportunity.

Business teacher and CleanVista advisor Jason Rudish commended the students for their dedication and professionalism.

“Watching my students bring CleanVista to life has been nothing short of inspiring,” he said. “They didn’t just complete a project—they demonstrated true innovation, problem-solving, and entrepreneurial thinking. Their ability to identify a real-world need, develop a solution, and present it with confidence shows they are not just learning about business—they’re becoming future business leaders.”

Jennifer Raleigh, who is also Baldwin High School business teacher and serves as advisor for Dorms Deluxe, emphasized the teamwork behind the success story.

“Virtual Enterprise at Baldwin High School true value lies in the collaboration. It isn’t just about learning business; it’s about becoming a leader before you even graduate and building a brand/company together. It bridges the gap between a textbook and the real world, giving us the freedom to take risks, innovate, and run a global company from our own classroom.”

Beyond competitions and accolades, the business students engaged in community service, including a holiday toy drive in December for families in need.

As members of the Virtual Enterprise International network, which encompasses over 15,000 students and student-run businesses across 40 countries, Baldwin High School’s Global Business Academy continues to exemplify entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation.

“The success of our Virtual Enterprise students reflects the innovation, leadership and determination that we strive to cultivate throughout the Baldwin School District as well as the hard work and dedication of our teachers and staff,” said Dr. Gabriella Franza, assistant director of instruction. “These students are gaining invaluable real-world experience while representing Baldwin with professionalism and pride. We are very proud of the work our teams have put in this year. Congratulations to our students as well as their advisors, Ms. Jennifer Raleigh and Mr. Jason Rudish.”

Through these School2Career experiences, students will continue to develop their “Future-Ready Competencies”—critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, character and civics—which will prepare them for future academic and career success.