Tartans Learning Entrepreneurial Skills in Experiential Upper School Course
The course closely aligns with key initiatives in St. Margaret’s Strategic Plan, which calls for expanded experiential-learning programs and an increased incorporation of entrepreneurship and relationship with industry.
Upper School students at St. Margaret’s are diving into the world of entrepreneurship, learning relevant skills and immersing in problem-solving experiential learning in a new Upper School elective that debuted this semester.
The entrepreneurial studies class is a progression from a pilot unit within the math for financial markets class taught by math teacher Andrew Hammond and Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives Ryan Dahlem last year.
“The feedback was very positive from that four-week pilot,” Mr. Hammond said. “That unit became the starting point for this semester-long course.”
The course closely aligns with key initiatives in St. Margaret’s Strategic Plan, which calls for expanded experiential-learning programs and an increased incorporation of entrepreneurship and relationship with industry.
Entrepreneurial studies has 19 Upper School students enrolled this semester. It has a project-based experiential-learning curriculum designed to help students understand the essential elements of a start-up company.
The course is divided into three units. The first two involve experiential case studies with local businesses. Students get to visit a local company to learn more about its business model, and are then tasked with finding solutions to a challenge the company is facing.
Their first case study involved Rise Bar, an organic energy bar manufacturer founded by St. Margaret’s alumnus Peter Spenuzza ’00. After touring Rise Bar’s headquarters in Irvine and sampling the company’s products, Mr. Spenuzza asked the students to propose research-backed ideas to help Rise Bar go viral.
The students explored a number of different angles, interviewing fellow students, teachers and other adults, studying how products go viral, analyzing Rise Bar’s current social media presence and even studying strategies for packaging, logos and fonts.
Some solutions the students proposed for Rise Bar included establishing a presence among influential bloggers, passing out bars on commercial airline flights, tweaking the packaging to be more appealing to teenagers, using consistent hashtags on social media, investing in viral video marketing, and partnering with athletic teams.
"After fielding many insightful questions from the students regarding Rise Foods, I was very eager to see their projects just a
few weeks later," Mr. Spenuzza said. "Not only was I impressed with their highly collaborative presentations, but I was also inspired to rethink my current business marketing strategy."
"After fielding many insightful questions from the students regarding Rise Foods, I was very eager to see their projects just a
few weeks later," Mr. Spenuzza said. "Not only was I impressed with their highly collaborative presentations, but I was also inspired to rethink my current business marketing strategy."
The class will embark on another experiential case study with a local business in a different sector next month. Their focus will then turn to proposing their own business.
Using Business Model Canvas and Lean LaunchPad tools used by entrepreneurs around the world, the students will pitch start-up ideas that take into account key business elements including value proposition, customer segments, cost structure and revenue streams. The students will pitch their ideas during a presentation to real investors in May.
Through the projects and in-class time, students are picking up skills in design-thinking methodology, leadership style, public speaking, and working with Microsoft Excel. They also are recognizing the strength of a diversity of perspectives as their start-up idea grows in a collaborative environment.
“Entrepreneurial skills have benefits far beyond creating a start-up business,” Mr. Dahlem said. “These are rich learning experiences that develop skills in leadership, critical thinking, collaboration and resilience. We see entrepreneurial studies as an incredible opportunity for personal growth and preparation for life beyond St. Margaret’s.”
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
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