When I tell people I just spent time as a Shark, I get some interesting looks and reactions. No, I am not loan sharking and no, I haven’t taken up marine biology.

I accepted an invitation from HSE High School Teacher Kelsey Habig to be one of her Sharks.  For the last few years, Ms. Habig has invited people from the local community to help with her Shark Tank exercise.  If you have ever seen the television program Shark Tank, this exercise is much like that.

But in this case, her students are not pitching a business.  They’ve been instructed to find an issue they are passionate about, research it, then find a solution to the problem connected to that issue.

Those of us playing Sharks are not as tough as on the TV show (I could never imagine myself as Mark Cuban) but the Sharks do challenge the students and suggest ways to improve their presentations.

The fellow Sharks during my four days included local business people, professionals such as doctors and lawyers, city staff and local elected officials (including the mayor and members of the city council).

I look forward to participating in Ms. Habig’s Shark Tank for a number of reasons, but one in particular.  These students choose their topics.  They select the subject they are most passionate about.

Some subjects are the same as when I was in high school (Oh so many years ago).  Some argued the homework load is too burdensome.  One worried that athletes participating in extra-curricular sports do not have the time for part time jobs, robbing them of extra money.

One young girl concerned about the potholes in the student parking lot may actually get something done about that, but not right away.  The girl concerned about people judging others by their looks hit a cord for me, because I had been plagued with a serious skin condition in my teens, just as she had.

So, I enjoyed talking with these students and making suggestions on how their presentations could be made better, although most all of them were very good.

My daughters graduated from high school many years ago.  Shark Tank allows me to understand what is important to HSE High School students today.  That’s the best part of being a Shark.

Thank you, Ms. Kelsey Habig, for inviting me back for a second year to be one of your Sharks.  I really believe I got more out of the experience than anything I could say to your students.