AROUND CAMPUS

Entrepreneurship is just part of the culture at Gilmour.

Students today have an idea and think nothing of putting it in play thanks to the efforts of Deanne Nowak, Ph.D., who has been spearheading the entrepreneurship program at Gilmour since 2008.

“We’re always looking for ways to inspire students in real-world contexts. Moving from business ideas to viable opportunities requires students to analyze, evaluate, communicate, solve problems and learn independently.

“Most importantly, the process cultivates creativity and grit; instead of fearing failure, students recognize it as an opportunity for growth. I’ve enjoyed watching some of our most timid students grow into confident, competent, business leaders and am delighted to see the strong focus on social entrepreneurship.” Nowak says.

And this entrepreneurial spirit is not limited to the Upper School. Students of all ages are joining the fun.

Fearless

Squeezy Breezy Lemonade

Lower School student Merielle William ’27, first began thinking about starting a business after participating in the Lemonade Day program at the Lower School last year. She set up her first lemonade stand at a Youth Marketplace held at University School and was the hit of the marketplace. She sold 54 cups at $2 each and ran out of lemonade with a line of people still waiting at her stand. Another Gilmour student is working on building another brand – her own. Quinn L’Esperance ’19 recently recorded her first album. Called “Fearless,” it is a compilation of pop covers and one original, called “Fearless,” written by a songwriter from Los Angeles. After this initial success, Merielle set up her stand at Shaker Square’s Farmers’ Market over the summer and, despite bad weather, again recorded great profits – $96.58.

Maybe it’s her special recipe: freshsqueezed lemon juice, Minute Maid natural lemonade and fresh mint from her backyard garden, garnished with lemon and strawberry slices – or maybe it’s her bubbly personality, but something is working for this young entrepreneur. She was recently featured in an article in Northeast Ohio Inside Business Magazine on “kidpreneurs.”

And the best part is that, amidst the lessons she has learned about financial management, profits, marketing and self-confidence, Merielle has learned that even more fun than making money is being able to give some away. She donated a portion of her profits to the Gilmour Lower School for its garden and some to her church. As she makes more money in the years ahead, she’d like to donate to cancer research, as her father is a hematologist/

oncologist and a cancer investigator. The album is available on iTunes, Amazon and at cdbaby.com. L’Esperance sings at various restaurants and performance venues around town, including Valenti’s; Happy Dog; the Wine Bar, in Parma; and The Grove, in Mayfield Heights. Her album is always available for sale at her live performances.

Eternally Yours

A group of four like-minded students began talking about starting a business that would pair the technical skills they’ve garnered through the AV Production course they took with the entrepreneurial skills they’ve developed through participation in the variety of entrepreneurship programs Nowak has run at school. Charbel Najm ’16,

Sam Winslett ’16, Claire Werynski ’16 and Da-Eun (Kathy) Jung ’18

decided to start a business that would produce commissioned digital stories including digital memoirs, ethical wills, athletic recruitment videos and commemorative works.

After writing a business plan, they began entering competitions such as the Believe in Ohio state-level competition, the Junior Achievement Company Program contest and the Lake Erie College business plan competition. They fared well, racking up prize money, ultimately winning $11,500, including the $10,000 top prize at the Believe in Ohio contest. Najm also received the Top Young Business Leader Award at the Junior Achievement outing. It was there, too, that the group picked up their first client. One of the judges asked them to create a video telling his father’s life story. They completed that project over the summer, along with a video commemorating the 20 th anniversary of Gilmour’s Our Lady Chapel. They are working on videos about Gilmour’s newly launched Bishop Gilmour Institute and Gilmour’s long-standing collaboration with our friends at Nuevo Paraiso, the destination for two annual mission trips. The students are currently talking with Junior Achievement about creating a video for the group’s 75 th

anniversary.

Winslett serves as the company CEO, Najm is the VP of marketing, Werynski is the VP of video production and Jung serves as the VP of procedures. They have a paid staff of about 10 students working as videographers and video editors.

All four of the company board members mentioned their gratitude to the faculty A former figure skater sidelined by a knee injury, L’Esperance now devotes her time to singing, acting and dancing. She is a part of Gilmour’s new a capella group, which meets on Monday mornings before school and is performing in the fall play and hopes to be in the spring musical. She trains members at Gilmour, who have helped them navigate this process – from helping them select the most cost-effective equipment to providing technical advice to answering their questions as they wrote the business plan.

Najm said, “The mentorship at GA is just awesome. Doc Nowak is so great. Her door is always open for us.”

Najm, Jung, Winslett and Werynski regularly with a private vocal coach outside of school as well.

L’Esperance is already thinking about her next album, which will be all originals. She can often be found in her bedroom working on the lyrics for her newest songs. This Gilmour freshman certainly is Fearless!

AROUND CAMPUS

The Michael J. Pender ’90 Speaker Series

“Educating the Heart: A Moral Compass”

A respected expert and leader in the field, internet safety expert Jesse Weinberger is frequently sought by media, educators, administrators, and law enforcement for guidance on how to manage and improve the digital lives of children all over the United States. On October 5 and 6, Weinberger met with students in grades 5-12 for 45-minute discussions by grade level. A computer programmer by trade, Weinberger is a big proponent of technology and its use in the classroom. However, she stresses that when used without proper safety precautions, it can lead to dangerous situations for users. Weinberger shared real-life examples of sexual predation cases she has worked on with law enforcement officials. She also shared true stories of the legal trouble teens find themselves in as a result of sharing inappropriate photos and/or information. During these grade-level presentations, Weinberger gathered information from students about their online habits. Talking with a Gilmour student after the presentation, the student told Weinberger that she was going to ask her mom to attend the parent presentation. Weinberger was surprised that the student would encourage her parent to attend, since it would most likely lead to greater restrictions on the student’s internet usage. The student’s response was, “I think kids of our generation want to be stopped and we don’t know how to ask.” At the end of the week, Weinberger presented an equally eye-opening talk for parents, alumni and guests. She talked about the additional academic, athletic and economic pressure that students face today. She explained that, on top of all that, students now have the added social pressure that comes with the fact that “popularity” can be quantifiably measured by the numbers of likes and shares online. She discussed the risk of sexual predation and which social media and gaming sites open children up to this danger. She talked about the importance of raising critical thinkers who can decipher reality when presented with images that have been photoshopped, advertisements that portray people according to strict stereotypes, and people who pose online as someone other than who they are.

The speaker series sponsored by the family of Michael J. Pender ’90 brought renowned internet safety expert Jesse Weinberger to campus for a variety of presentations.

Weinberger concluded by sharing the data she gathered from the students during her meetings with them, alerting some parents to their children’s use of sites and apps that they did not know existed. She offered tips for monitoring usage and sites to be

sure children avoid.

Weinberger’s book was for sale at the conclusion of the event. Titled “The Boogeyman Exists: And He’s In Your Child’s Back Pocket,” it is a complete guide for parents on how to keep children safe in a 24/7, always-connected digital society.

Young Gilmour Alum Launches Fair Trade School Uniform Business

Hilary Dell ’05 always wanted to get into fashion design. As a fashion design and finance major at Kent State, Hilary did an internship in Uganda working with a small group of female artisans called One Tree Mango. She trained the group of women in the manufacturing of One Tree Mango knit apparel, a business that recently sold to Global Girlfriend, a fair trade manufacturer and retailer.

From this experience in Uganda, a spark was ignited for Hilary. She graduated from KSU, worked for Global Girlfriend followed by Active Fashion Brands, and then for her sister’s start-up mobile fashion boutique, The Runaway (www.shoptherunaway.com).

In September 2014, she left for a vacation to Guatemala and ended up staying for four months. Hilary has always had a fascination with textiles and, while in Guatemala, she learned how to weave alongside Mayan Guatemalan women. As she met more of these artisans, she started to think about ways to connect them with consumers and One Seed Heritage was born.

One Seed Heritage is a provider of ethically sourced school uniforms. It allows students to become agents of change by selecting a fair trade uniform option. Additionally, five percent of all sales are donated to support scholarships for Mayan children in Guatemala. (Mayan girls in Guatemala only receive an average of 1.8 years of schooling due to the economic circumstances of their families.)

Gilmour is one of One Seed Heritage’s first three clients. When purchased through One Seed Heritage, Liam Ryan ’21, Sarah Krakowiak ’16 and Lily Switka ’18 in their fair trade uniforms

Gilmour uniform skirts and ties are hand-made by the co-op of women with whom Hilary learned to weave in the Solololá region of Guatemala and the shirts are made in a fair trade factory in Calcutta, India. This year, about 30 GA uniforms were purchased through One Seed Heritage and the hope is that, as students learn more about the impact their purchases have on the lives of these women and on their communities, even more will participate next year.

AROUND CAMPUS

Flat Lancer Sightings

Associate Athletic Director Kristy Booher brought Flat Lancer to her wedding in October!

A Holy Cross Summer Adventure

Guidance counselor Jamie Kazel led a tour group to France this summer. The group included 11 Gilmour students, four Gilmour parents, four students from Archbishop Hoban, a Hoban teacher and Kazel’s wife, Regan. They departed on July 26 and returned on August 3. In addition to the day spent in Le Mans, the birthplace of the Congregation of Holy Cross, trip highlights included visits to the Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the site of Joan of Arc’s martyrdom, Arromanches, Omaha Beach, the island abbey of Mont St. Michel and Versailles. The group also enjoyed an evening river boat ride on the Seine and a French cooking class.

While in Le Mans, the group visited the Shrine of Blessed Basil Moreau, where Fr. Moreau’s tomb is located. They then walked about 20 minutes to the Solitude of the Savior, which served as the novitiate of the priests of Holy Cross during Moreau’s time. They also visited Saint Julien Cathedral, where Moreau spent a lot of time as a priest of the Diocese of Le Mans; a late medieval/early renaissance village called La Cité Plantagenêt; and saw one of the best preserved walls of the ancient Roman empire.

Flat Lancer in El Salvador with Spencer Slaght ’17 Katie Decker ’17 and Elizabeth Edmondson

Flat Lancer taking the tube in London to King's Cross Station and then to the Globe Theater to catch a show with the family of

Michael Huber ’16

Three Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists and One Named Commended Student

Three Gilmour students were recently named National Merit semifinalists: Brendan Cheng ’16, Jaret Ross ’16 and Daniel Zhang ’16. Of the 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT (PSAT) or the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT ® ), less than one percent were named semifinalists.

Additionally, Samantha Winslett ’16 was named a Commended Student. To qualify for this distinction, Winslett placed among the top five percent of PSAT or NMSQT test-takers.

All four are honors students who are leaders in their respective extracurricular activities.

Cheng has earned highest honors academically with a 4.3 GPA; is a member of the National Honor Society; is a captain on the cross country team this fall and will be a track captain this spring; and helps to organize Gilmour’s annual talent show, Live Jive. By graduation, he will have completed 10 AP courses. He also participated in the school’s Catalyst program, spending an average of 40 hours per week for five weeks during the summer of 2014 doing a research project alongside a biomedical engineer at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Center. Cheng was subsequently hired by his mentor to continue the research and has been working for her ever since. He plans to major in electrical engineering in college.

Ross holds a 4.1 GPA and has also earned highest honors. He, too, is a member of the National Honor Society. He will have completed 10 AP courses upon graduating. While the swim team does not designate captains, he is a leader on the varsity team and was a member of the 2014-2015 state-qualifying 200m medley relay team. Ross is also the co-president of the Cartooning Club, and is involved in music ministry and competitive speech. He intends to major in engineering in college.

Zhang has earned a 4.1 GPA as well, earning highest honors. By the time he graduates, he will have taken 11 AP courses. He received recognition last year after receiving a perfect score of 2400 on the SAT. Zhang is a member of the National Honor Society, co-founded the school’s Model UN program, is a member of the Academic Challenge team and is currently participating in the Catalyst science research internship with a computer programming mentor at Rockwell Automation. He plans to major in computer science and business in college. Ross, Zhang, Cheng and Winslett

Winslett has a 3.97 GPA, earning honors, and is a member of the National Honor Society. She will have completed seven AP courses by spring. She is the CEO of Eternally Yours, a student-run school business that produces commissioned digital stories including digital memoirs, ethical wills, athletic recruitment videos and commemorative works (see story on page 33); is the co-president of the Cartooning Club; is a member of the Blue and Gray Society, which provides tours for prospective families; and a three-sport athlete as a member of the soccer, swimming and lacrosse teams. The soccer team’s starting goalie, this fall, Winslett was named one of the top 50 goalies in the state. In college, she plans to major in either biology

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