Young Entrepreneurs Class Starts at TVHS
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
YEA! incorporates project-based learning with students creating a business plan, securing an investor, developing marketing materials and learning to sell their business to the public at a trade show.
Renea Salyer, Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce member relations, said YEA! makes what students learn in class relevant.
“It will really connect the dots to what students are learning in the classroom and what they’re doing with Young Entrepreneurs Academy. They will be taking the information and using it to build their business,” she said.
At the June Tippecanoe Valley School Board meeting, the board approved for the high school to team up with the Chamber of Commerce during the 2013-14 school year to pilot the first YEA! in the county.
The program requires the local chamber of commerce to buy into it. In Indiana, the program currently only exists in Elkhart County, making Valley’s program only the second in the state.
Jeff Shriver and Melanie Mason teach the combined class together.
Grace College School of Business professors will instruct the YEA! portion of the classes. The Grace College instructors are volunteers dedicating their expertise in different areas of business strengths to open the door to a wide variety of ideas and critical thinking.
YEA! students planning to further their education after high school will have an opportunity to receive three credit hours from Grace College for taking this class.
“We will take the state standards (for English, government and economics) and apply those to business. The neatest part is at the end, students have a business plan and a business. That’s real world,” Shriver said.
According to information provided by Salyer, “YEA! will provide students with a clearer understanding of the academic learning received through English, government and economics in a practical, useful way. Through YEA! students will experience the concept of owning a business and the hard work it takes to maintain a successful business over time. Each student will see firsthand what it takes to come up with a business concept, creating the direction for the business, and decide if it will be real and sustainable.”
Community business people will mentor the students throughout the year. The relationships students develop with those individuals will build greater understanding of the local economy, economic development benefits and the glamorous versus the not-so-glamorous views of being an entrepreneur, according to the information provided. Each student’s knowledge of entrepreneurship will be strengthened. Students will gain confidence in public speaking and working as partners.
“A positive result for the community is the potential of seeing a greater number of students giving back to their community, if not in the short term, hopefully in the long term by returning to their hometown to build a business or start a movement,” the information states.
Since Tuesday was the first day of the program at TVHS, Shriver said a lot of the students may not have known exactly what was about to happen in the class.
Branigan Bahney said he took an American Studies class last year that was new and that he liked because he got to do new things he never got to do before. He decided to take part in YEA! this year because it was an opportunity to learn new things.
Last school year, said student Benjamin Shriver, he was in a basic entrepreneur class. It was fun and he wanted to take another one this year so he signed up for YEA! He also plans to major in business in college.
Alicia Carnes said she plans to open an art shop later in life so this class would help her. Tyler Presson wants to open up a coffee shop.
Nolan Sponseller wants to go into not-for-profit business. “I’ve done it all my life,” he said. The class will help him.
“I don’t plan to go into business, but I think business is something important anyone can use in life,” said student Cynthia Stamberger.
The YEA! program model is normally an after-school activity, having never been conducted during a school day. The partnership with Tippecanoe Valley is breaking new ground for the program creator. A successful implementation of YEA! at TVHS will allow this model to be implemented in the future in the other Kosciusko County school districts, impacting even more students in the community. It will also provide the YEA! a new program model for chambers of commerce to use successfully throughout the nation, according to Salyer’s information.
Sponsors for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy are Maple Leaf Farms, Paragon Medical and The Auto Park.
For more information, contact Salyer at the Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce, 313 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw, or email [email protected][[In-content Ad]]
YEA! incorporates project-based learning with students creating a business plan, securing an investor, developing marketing materials and learning to sell their business to the public at a trade show.
Renea Salyer, Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce member relations, said YEA! makes what students learn in class relevant.
“It will really connect the dots to what students are learning in the classroom and what they’re doing with Young Entrepreneurs Academy. They will be taking the information and using it to build their business,” she said.
At the June Tippecanoe Valley School Board meeting, the board approved for the high school to team up with the Chamber of Commerce during the 2013-14 school year to pilot the first YEA! in the county.
The program requires the local chamber of commerce to buy into it. In Indiana, the program currently only exists in Elkhart County, making Valley’s program only the second in the state.
Jeff Shriver and Melanie Mason teach the combined class together.
Grace College School of Business professors will instruct the YEA! portion of the classes. The Grace College instructors are volunteers dedicating their expertise in different areas of business strengths to open the door to a wide variety of ideas and critical thinking.
YEA! students planning to further their education after high school will have an opportunity to receive three credit hours from Grace College for taking this class.
“We will take the state standards (for English, government and economics) and apply those to business. The neatest part is at the end, students have a business plan and a business. That’s real world,” Shriver said.
According to information provided by Salyer, “YEA! will provide students with a clearer understanding of the academic learning received through English, government and economics in a practical, useful way. Through YEA! students will experience the concept of owning a business and the hard work it takes to maintain a successful business over time. Each student will see firsthand what it takes to come up with a business concept, creating the direction for the business, and decide if it will be real and sustainable.”
Community business people will mentor the students throughout the year. The relationships students develop with those individuals will build greater understanding of the local economy, economic development benefits and the glamorous versus the not-so-glamorous views of being an entrepreneur, according to the information provided. Each student’s knowledge of entrepreneurship will be strengthened. Students will gain confidence in public speaking and working as partners.
“A positive result for the community is the potential of seeing a greater number of students giving back to their community, if not in the short term, hopefully in the long term by returning to their hometown to build a business or start a movement,” the information states.
Since Tuesday was the first day of the program at TVHS, Shriver said a lot of the students may not have known exactly what was about to happen in the class.
Branigan Bahney said he took an American Studies class last year that was new and that he liked because he got to do new things he never got to do before. He decided to take part in YEA! this year because it was an opportunity to learn new things.
Last school year, said student Benjamin Shriver, he was in a basic entrepreneur class. It was fun and he wanted to take another one this year so he signed up for YEA! He also plans to major in business in college.
Alicia Carnes said she plans to open an art shop later in life so this class would help her. Tyler Presson wants to open up a coffee shop.
Nolan Sponseller wants to go into not-for-profit business. “I’ve done it all my life,” he said. The class will help him.
“I don’t plan to go into business, but I think business is something important anyone can use in life,” said student Cynthia Stamberger.
The YEA! program model is normally an after-school activity, having never been conducted during a school day. The partnership with Tippecanoe Valley is breaking new ground for the program creator. A successful implementation of YEA! at TVHS will allow this model to be implemented in the future in the other Kosciusko County school districts, impacting even more students in the community. It will also provide the YEA! a new program model for chambers of commerce to use successfully throughout the nation, according to Salyer’s information.
Sponsors for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy are Maple Leaf Farms, Paragon Medical and The Auto Park.
For more information, contact Salyer at the Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce, 313 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw, or email [email protected][[In-content Ad]]
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