Their days start early, and their schedules are filled with meetings, financial budgets and business plans. These are not high-powered executives, though; they're high school students with an intuition for business.

Students throughout the Augusta-Aiken area are taking a leap into the business world through entrepreneurial ventures such as student-operated stores, credit unions and T-shirt sales.

They are learning the rigors of operating a successful business and gaining invaluable exposure to the field, all before they enter college.

Students at North Augusta High School, for example, are working on an Internet safety awareness project -- Surfing in Safe Waters -- to fulfill the community service requirement for the national Future Business Leaders of America organization to which they belong.

The youngsters prepared pamphlets, bookmarks and student-parent contracts for more than 3,200 elementary and middle school students.

"I really like our project this year," said Janelle Armstrong, a North Augusta senior and co-chairwoman of the project. "I feel like it's making a big impact on students."

The students worked with businesses such as Chick-fil-A to offer incentives for recipients to return the contracts.

Last year, North Augusta's FBLA program and SRP Federal Credit Union opened a student-operated branch at Mossy Creek Elementary in North Augusta. The project helped the credit union win the Louise Herring Philosophy in Action Award from the South Carolina Credit Union League.

Janelle has participated in FBLA for four years and served as state secretary last year. Her career aspirations are not directly related to business -- she hopes to become a missionary -- but she has learned many lessons such as how to conduct business meetings.

Fellow student Jennifer Rice has participated in FBLA since the eighth grade, and says that it "helps with skills such as public speaking." She placed in the top 15 at FBLA's national public speaking contest last year.

The North Augusta FBLA chapter is celebrating its 25th anniversary and has won numerous honors throughout the years, including the most outstanding chapter in South Carolina for the past two years.

Student organizations such as FBLA and DECA -- the organization formerly known as Distributive Education Clubs of America Inc. -- and business class curriculum, are giving local students a head start in the business world, said Nanette Barnes, the director of Richmond County schools' Department of Career, Technical & Agricultural Education.

"We have a very big student population that participates on all levels," she said.

In last year's entrepreneurship event at the state FBLA competition, students throughout Georgia made mulimedia presentations on products they developed, complete with business plans. They were also required to dress in professional attire, Ms. Barnes said.

"That's part of the business world -- dressing and speaking the part," Ms. Barnes said.

Many students in FBLA major in business-related areas such as business administration, accounting or even marketing in college. The club provides career exploration through career portfolios, which allow students to research information such as salary, travel, and the possibility of having a family.

"FBLA is also a foundation to other areas, not just business," Ms. Barnes said.

Margaret Bryngelson, a business teacher and FBLA sponsor at Hephzibah High School in Hephzibah, offers an elective called Entrepreneurship each semester. Students explore topics such as the international business and global marketplace, potential small businesses, business plans, feasibility and types of business ownership.

Her students recently opened a mock school store to learn about feasibility analysis and writing a business plan.

Hephzibah High also teaches other classes, including banking and finance, business document processing, and advanced computer courses such as Web page design.

Natalie Robinson teaches marketing, business law and an on-the-job training course to 150 students at Hephzibah High. In addition, she is the school's DECA coordinator.

DECA students at the school operate a school snack bar and hope to open a school store in the near future, she said.

Ms. Barnes says that Richmond County is working to make its curriculum "industry-certified," which indicates it has met guidelines for training students to enter the job market. Students would be qualified for positions such as entry level computer and web design jobs.

She pointed out Glenn Hills High School's business and computer science program recently earned industry certification from the Department of Education.

Reach LaTina Emerson at (706) 823-3227 or latina.emerson@augustachronicle.com.