Dennis Rockwood teaches marketing and heads the DECA program at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore, WA where students find success with Athena water.

“DECA is an international association of marketing students and teaches students marketing, business, and attitude skills.

We’re the team to beat. My students have won first place in the national competition twice in the past five years.

Previously, the students had been selling a bottled water from a leading soft-drink company in the school store and for fundraising. But after we learned about Athena, the students wanted to switch.

With Athena, they could work with a vendor that is giving 100 percent of their profits to a worthy cause. It pulled at heartstrings and it struck chords. Our chapter sold 60,000 bottles last year.

The students learned that Athena is a product that you want to attach yourself to. There aren’t many products that have an ongoing message like that on every bottle. It just knocks down walls.

I taught the students that people don’t buy products; they buy what products can do for them. And when the students sell Athena, they gain confidence because they not only sell the water, they sell the cause.

They want to be proud of what they represent. And they’re proud of Athena.

This is high school, after all. What message do you want to send to kids?"

- As told to Marion Daniel