Cherokee County Students Named Finalists in New Entrepreneur Program

<p><em>Woodstock Community News| Woodstock, GA</em></p><p>The Cherokee County School District (CCSD) has selected its inaugural class of finalists for Georgia FLEX, a program enabling high school students to launch real businesses with professional mentorship and seed funding. Announced on Dec. 4, 2025, the initiative is a partnership between the school district, the Cherokee Office of Economic Development, and local industry leaders.</p><p>Ten finalist companies were selected based on their initial business plans. These students will now operate their businesses for 12 weeks, utilizing seed money provided by the program and receiving guidance from teacher advisors and local business mentors. Following this operational period, participants will present "Shark Tank"-style pitches to a panel of judges. The top three teams will spend an additional five weeks refining their concepts before a final winner is selected to advance to the state competition for a chance to win $10,000.</p><p>Woodstock-area students are well-represented among the finalists. Woodstock High School student Jake Cerna advanced with his company, By Faith clothing. From Etowah High School, finalists include Arcadian Freund (TechEase), Samuel Mullins (Walletwise Automotive), Sarah Robles (Center Court), and Javen Simmons (Vision Studioz). Additionally, Etowah student Gavin Letendre teamed up with Creekview High School’s Carter Hutchison to launch Weightex Clothing.</p><p>Other finalists include River Ridge High School’s Annabell Meyer (Aspire Great Media), Creekview High School’s Karl Smith (Gardn), and Sequoyah High School students Abhi Pulleti (Handy Hero) and the team of Cole Abney, Maddox Grummer, and Ryan Wexler (CMR Captures). The district announced that all finalists and their advisors will be recognized at an upcoming School Board meeting.</p>