Hawken Entrepreneurs Do School Differently
Ask any student enrolled in the Hawken’s Entrepreneurial Studies class held at the Gries Center and they’ll tell you: It doesn’t feel like school. Yet they are learning by leaps and bounds.
“It changes your whole mindset – not just how you view school but life,” says one member of the class. Another adds, “We’re basically doing what we would be doing in the real world. We learn skills that we know we’re going to use in the future.”
They all agreed that going to “normal” classes, which they do for two periods each morning before heading to the Gries Center to learn how to solve real problems that confront real business owners, feels “weird.”
The skills they develop, which program director Doris Korda identifies as market research, critical thinking, communications, and collaboration – have enabled them not only to think more strategically but to work for more than just a grade. “This is the first time I’m not that focused on grades,” one student comments. “I’m focused on actually helping the company. I want to do it for them.”
A classmate explains that in order to provide thoughtful feedback to the companies they work with, the students need to know “how to determine what statistics you actually need and how to analyze data and turn it into something useful to that company.”
Ownership is another valuable lesson learned. “You come to take pride in what you do. The companies value our opinions, so what we say matters.” Talk about meaningful, relevant learning.
Knowing that it matters inspires these high school seniors to be self-disciplined, as one class member points out. “It has definitely changed me as a person because we’ve had to assign ourselves a lot of the work. And you know you’re going to have to stand up there and present helpful information. I don’t want to be embarrassed when it comes time for my presentation, so I know it will take a lot of practice and research just to feel comfortable with what I’m saying.”
Another important life lesson these young entrepreneurs learn is teamwork. “Right from the start the teachers emphasized that it’s basically impossible to get an A in this class on your own. It’s more about team work; you have to incorporate everybody; you can’t just go off and do it by yourself. It’s really collaborative.”
And it hasn’t exactly been easy getting there. “Trying to research the first time, I had no idea what I was doing,” confesses one student. Another describes her anxiety before her first presentation: “I’m a swimmer and I’m used to dealing with stress and pressure, but nothing compares to this.” Yet another adds, “Public speaking is my biggest fear ever. But I’ve become so much more comfortable talking in front of an audience.”
Their growth has not gone unnoticed. From the first presentation to the CEO of a fried chicken restaurant – described by one student as “really kind of embarrassing” - to their third presentation to the CEO of Inca Tea, their spike in confidence was unmistakable. Even a successful and seasoned businessman in the audience confessed to being “totally blown away” by the transformation.
Their confidence boost stems not only from practice but from the approaches to teaching and learning, which Korda and her cohorts Tim Desmond and Alison Tanker have designed and implemented with the support of a learning management system developed by Desmond . One student explains: “As we’ve gone on in these presentations, we’ve seen a lot of improvement; we’re tackling the problems in a different way and thinking more strategically.”
CEO of Inca Tea Ryan Fioralis confirms the value of what these students have to offer. “I have very few “wow” moments in my life where I’m sitting there saying ‘Wow, that’s impressive.’ I had one of those moments today. There’s no doubt in my mind what my next steps need to be to take my business to a new level.”
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Young Entrepreneurs Pitch to Audience at Gries Center
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An independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school, toddler through grade 12
Early Childhood, Lower, and Middle Schools, 5000 Clubside Rd, Lyndhurst, OH 44124
Birchwood School of Hawken, 4400 West 140th Street, Cleveland, OH 44135
Upper School, PO Box 8002 (12465 County Line Rd), Gates Mills, OH 44040
Mastery School of Hawken, 11025 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106
Gries Center, 10823 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106
Early Childhood, Lower, and Middle Schools, 5000 Clubside Rd, Lyndhurst, OH 44124
Birchwood School of Hawken, 4400 West 140th Street, Cleveland, OH 44135
Upper School, PO Box 8002 (12465 County Line Rd), Gates Mills, OH 44040
Mastery School of Hawken, 11025 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106
Gries Center, 10823 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106
Directions | Log in | 440-423-4446