Annual Saints Tank Competition Challenges Students to Design Products for Kids

During the month of April, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy celebrated its 18th annual Saints Tank competition, which serves as the capstone project for our Principles of Economics students and has become one of the school's most anticipated spring events. This year held special significance as it marked the final Saints Tank for Principles of Economics instructor Mr. Art Truesdell, whose vision and mentorship have defined the competition since its inception. As Mr. Truesdell prepares to retire at the end of the school year, this Saints Tank served as a testament to his nearly two decades of engaging, inspiring and empowering aspiring entrepreneurs.

Modeled after the popular ABC show Shark Tank, Saints Tank requires students to work in small groups to develop an original product and take it from simple concept to professional pitch. Guided by Mr. Truesdell and Ms. Parker, students identify a market need, conduct research and create a business model before facing a panel of sharks. These local business leaders and experts evaluate students' ideas based on innovation and potential for success. This experience allows students to apply the economic principles they have learned throughout the year in a high-stakes setting while embracing the Design Thinking process to solve complex, real-world problems.

The theme for this year's competition focused on the next generation, specifically targeting consumers under the age of 18. Twelve groups were challenged to identify a specific need for children, students or their parents and develop a product with commercial appeal. Ideas included an amusement park-issued tracking device that allows families to access their child's location (Park Pal), a smart lockbox that requires kids to complete tasks in return for screen time (BoxedIn), a baby monitoring system designed to detect breathing irregularities (SafeSnoozzze), a fabric product that keeps shoelaces securely tied (Lace Locket), sensory-friendly clothing designed for individuals with autism (NeuroComfort Co.), a compact recovery tool for athletes (QRoll), an attachment to prevent classroom chairs from tipping (Busy Bee), an app that improves student focus (Mahi Mastery), a platform designed to help users manage their digital footprint (Footprint Finder), an app that keeps the many facets of student life organized in one place (Study Track), a stuffed animal with built-in features to support healthy sleep routines (Cuddleby) and an NFC tag designed to help identify and contact the owner of lost items (TapTag).

After assessing each team's problem-solving skills, prototype development and presentation quality, our first panel of sharks selected NeuroComfort Co., Cuddleby and SafeSnoozzze as finalists. These teams advanced to the final round, where they pitched their concepts to and received feedback from a new panel of sharks.

The sharks ultimately selected Eliana Carson '26, Madison Goodwin '27, Addie Howell '27 and Christina Tabet '26 with SafeSnoozzze as the winner of this year's competition. Their product is a sophisticated baby monitoring system that utilizes piezoelectric sensors to track heart rate and respiratory rate, providing parents with immediate alerts if breathing irregularities are detected during sleep.

Congratulations to all of our Saints Tank participants for their hard work! We also want to thank Ms. Parker and our dedicated panel of sharks for sharing their time and expertise. We are especially grateful to Mr. Truesdell for his vision and leadership in growing Saints Tank into the meaningful tradition it is today, and we wish him the very best in his well-deserved retirement!

SafeSnoozzze

Team members: Eliana Carson '26, Madison Goodwin '27, Addie Howell '27 and Christina Tabet '26

NeuroComfort Co.

Team members: Aidan DeFeo '27, Liam Graning '27, Makenna Kuehl '27 and Brooklyn Williams '27

Cuddleby

Team members: Vance Byars '27, Addison Crowe '27, Ella DeFeo '27 and Paige Meeks '27