A new business called Freebird Inc. launched Jan. 13 - its co-CEOs Denzell Pryor and Hannah Grooms watching computer monitors and staffers with just a hint of anxiety.

The business located at Aiken High School is totally virtual. But that doesn't make it any less real to Pryor, Grooms and the other students in Travis Phillips' virtual enterprise business class.

"We've got four departments - human resources, marketing, accounting and web design," said Pryor, a senior. "We're leasing cars to other schools in (the seven-state) network and producing advertisements they can buy in packages from us."

The class members had the opportunity to pick anything they wanted to sell when school started last fall, said Grooms, a junior.

"We felt we could get the most profit by doing advertising, and we're the only ad service among the South Carolina schools," she said. "We also decided to go with leasing cars ourselves."

The students will be working virtually with the schools and fellow AHS students in Phillips' other virtual enterprise class. Kimmy Haithcock is the CEO of a virtual grocery store.

This is the fourth year of the program at Aiken High, which is coordinated through the State Virtual Enterprise site.

Phillips said the technology has evolved and so have his teaching strategies.

"During the first semester, the students learn how to interview for jobs, how to write résumés and business plans and get a loan for our business," Phillips said. "It's very realistic in that all the students get paid salaries. They have bank accounts and must buy food, cars, clothing and houses with the money they earn. They have to manage their money. The main point is how to be successful in a job."

Freebird also has departmental managers - Lydia Brooks (human resources), Wayne Russell (web design), Alexis Lewis (accounting) and Justin Finnie (marketing).

Assistant Principal Laura Bacon toured the grand opening last week and came away impressed.

"This is so real," she said. "The students are so good at it and know what they're talking about. It's a 21st century classroom with a facilitator that allows the students to do the work. It's a practical application, and that's what the students need."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.