When the Chieftains, Rangers, Eddies and Wildcats normally share the same field, it is as fierce rivals.

On Tuesday, though, a group of students from the four Cass County school districts found themselves working together after they were tasked with crossing a several-yard long stretch of lawn at Cassopolis’ Edward Lowe Foundation.

While the goal was simple, achieving it was anything but.

The students were asked to cross the grassy patch without having their feet touch soil, using only a handful of wooden boards given to them by foundation staff. If any of the students’ feet or hands lost contact with one of the boards, it could no longer be used in the exercise.

Needless to say, such conditions quickly bred cooperation, leadership and communication among the students, as they worked literally hand-in-hand to finish the exercise.

The aforementioned activity capped off a busy day for a group of more than a dozen students from across the county who participated in the Lewis Cass ISD’s annual Young Entrepreneurs Day. The ISD and district business instructors once again partnered with the Edward Lowe Foundation, a retreat center for business leaders and professionals, for the educational event.

While the venue remained the same, organizers made some dramatic changes to this year’s format.

In previous years, students teamed up with one or two of their classmates to prepare and present a plan for a fictional business to area professionals. This year, participants were again asked to come up with a business plan — this time for a food truck — only now they were divided into two teams, comprised of students from all four districts.

In order to develop their plans, the teams spent the last several months working remotely through computer programs such as Google Docs or Skype, as well as meeting in person several times. Students divided up the different tasks for their projects, with some crunching away the numbers for their business’ projected finances while others came up with marketing and promotional materials.

“The new format gives them a much closer experience to what it is like in the real world,” said Mikki Spagnoli, the CTE director with the ISD. “They have to work with people they have never met before instead of just working with one of their classmates like they used to.”

On Tuesday, the students presented their plans to a panel of local business owners and professionals, similar to the format of the popular TV show “Shark Tank,” Spagnoli said.

Following their presentations, both teams joined forces for the team building exercise on the foundation lawn. The activity, called “River Tweed,” is designed to get the students to work together to find a solution and keep a clear line of communication open with one another, said George Nelson, an instructor with the foundation.

While the activity is designed for the business leaders who visit the foundation throughout the rest of the year, the lessons the activity is meant to teach are applicable to high school students as well, be they in the workplace, the classroom or at home, Nelson said.

“A lot of the time, the students work together better than the CEOs do,” Nelson said.

Team 1: The Rolling Meatball

Brandon Anderson, Ross Beatty High School

Lisa Boehlk, Marcellus High School

Hana Dantone, Edwardsburg High School

Kameli Eslick, Dowagiac Union High School

Cheyenne Goodenough, Marcellus High School

Steven Harris, Edwardsburg High School

Harli Ivey, Dowagiac Union High School

Selena McGrew, Ross Beatty High School

Victoria Romig, Marcellus High School

Trenton Short, Marcellus High School

Carter Surach, Marcellus High School

Brandon Wilkins, Marcellus High School

Team 2: Sweet Reads

Hessen Ayers, Dowagiac Union High School

Arika Fell, Edwardsburg High School

Kiara Gillam, Ross Beatty High School

Zoe Laubach, Edwardsburg High School

Juliana Stanger, Dowagiac Union High School