RHINELANDER - We keep our kids buried in books until they’re at least 18, and the hope is that someday they’ll get a job.

But through a program called “Mini Business World,” some high school students got to fast-forward to the business world – at least for a day.

“I’m CEO of the company,” said Destiny Baitinger, a junior at Rhinelander High School.

The “company” is six to eight high school students from Rhinelander and Tomahawk.

They have one day to dream up a business plan and a product - but the real product is the lessons they’ll learn today.

“What we’ve found is the best teacher is experience, and what we like most about our program is that it’s a hands-on activity,” Steve Benzschawel , program director of Wisconsin Business World.

“It really gave us a grasp of how businesses actually work and how much effort you have to put in,” Baitinger said.

At the end of the day, Baitinger will pitch her group’s project to everyone.

Even though she’s on her own for that part, the whole day is about working together.

“It taught me that it’s not always an independent thing, you have to learn how to work with others and their strengths and weaknesses, and they work with your strengths and weaknesses,” said Paige Bartz, a junior from Tomahawk High School.

“It’s really important to hear everyone’s voice because they all contribute to it. You have to make sure everyone’s coordinating with each other, that everything is relevant to one another,” Baitinger said.

But since they are still students, it’s not all about the grindstone.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be as fun as it actually is. Meeting new people was really fun and learning new things and getting something kind of thrown at you and learning how to accommodate that,” Bartz said.

Story By: Lex Gray