springside chestnut hill academy
SCH SANDS CENTER FOR
ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP
CENTER FOR ENTREPR
2020-2021
The Sands Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) is committed to developing an entrepreneurial mindset and skillset in every student at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. This innovative program enhances Pre-K–12 education with learning opportunities and classes that empower students to shape their futures and the world.
We treat our students like true colleagues and partners. We take their ideas seriously and set them up to pursue their projects in real and meaningful ways. We prioritize process over product. and students become more resilient, resourceful, creative problem solvers along the way.” ~ Ed Glassman, Executive Director sands Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
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CEL program At SCH, entrepreneurship is an approach to problem solving. The CEL program prioritizes the development of four key traits that comprise the entrepreneurial mindset: opportunity seeking, creative problem solving, resiliency, and resourcefulness. Equipped with this mindset, our students take on interesting challenges that connect with their passions and graduate with a competitive advantage. To instill this mindset in every student, CEL is integrated into the Pre-K–12 school experience. Project-based challenges in the classroom provide an opportunity for students to build this way of thinking while practicing entrepreneurial skills in the areas of business, design, and technology. The Pre-K–9th grade curriculum is embedded into the student’s schedule, building toward a Capstone experience in which all sophomores launch a venture. In 11th and 12th grade, students can continue to pursue their ventures through a variety of electives, independent study opportunities, and participation in the Venture Accelerator.
5TH–9TH GRADE PRE-K–4TH GRADE Our youngest students work collaboratively to solve real-world problems using empathy, creativity, and design thinking—laying the foundation for an entrepreneurial spirit.
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Every SCH middle and early high school student learns business, design, new media, coding, and cutting-edge tech skills through project-based CEL courses.
overview There is literally nowhere else that does this. There is no other version of CEL. Even in my college search process as a senior, I have not seen anything that rivals the freedom that we have in CEL. Even if someone put out a program like this, it wouldn’t be the same because we have such great faculty and guidance. ~ Finn Seifert ‘21 (Venture: Young Adults for Prison Abolition | College: Northeastern University)
11TH–12TH GRADE 10TH GRADE
Interested students can further develop their ventures through electives, independent study, and participation in the Venture Accelerator.
In Capstone, sophomore students launch a unique venture inspired by their passions and supported by the skills they’ve learned.
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entrepreneurial PRE-K–4TH GRADE
In Lower School, all students participate in CEL projects throughout the year. In partnership with CEL faculty, our teachers design authentic experiences for young entrepreneurs in which they identify a need in our school or local community. From there, students are guided to gather data and develop ideas to solve the need. Critical components of Lower School CEL projects include: • developing empathy for others, • effectively communicating with teammates, and • incorporating elements of new media or financial literacy into their projects.
Our Fabrication Lab, located in the McCausland Lower School and Commons, centers on design thinking, innovation, and creativity.
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curriculum 5TH–9TH GRADES To execute their entrepreneurial ideas, students need a foundational skillset that requires knowledge in areas outside of a traditional education. The CEL curriculum is the product of a cross-disciplinary collaboration in business, design, and technology and serves as a model for the creative problem solving we ask of our students. All SCH students experience this curriculum starting in the 5th grade. CEL classes provide a supportive space to experiment, play, and learn from failure. Expert faculty guide students through project-based experiences that engage their entrepreneurial mindset and provide them with the technical skills they will need to bring their ideas to life.
5TH
6TH
Adventures in New Media
LEGO Robotics
Introduction to Coding
Environmental Technology
Digital Storytelling-Audio
Digital Storytelling-Video
Media & Presentation
Digital Publishing
Intro to App Development
Social Entrepreneurship
Graphic Design
Money Matters
Business Fundamentals
Collaboration & Teamwork
7TH
8TH
SKILLS LEARNED THROUGH THE CEL CURRICULUM Business | New Media | Coding | Engineering | Communication | Collaboration
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9TH Intro to Microprocessors & Coding
Product Design
course PRE-K–4TH
5TH GRADE
6TH GRADE
DESIGN CHALLENGES
ADVENTURES IN NEW MEDIA
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Our youngest learners begin to develop their entrepreneurial mindsets through project-based activities as they design solutions to problems observed around them. In one project, Kindergartners designed and built a “Mini-Beast Mansion” in our woods to provide a safe place for hibernating insects over the winter.
Just as painters use paintbrushes, students in this new media class learn how to use digital technologies to express themselves in a rapidly converging world. Through a variety of project-based experiences, students build robots, learn digital fabrication skills like 3D printing, laser cutting, and vinyl cutting, and even work on interactive sound and video projects.
Through the microfinancing website, KIVA, students research and identify entrepreneurs in developing regions of the world seeking small loans for their ventures. The students create and sell products to raise funds, then use the proceeds to make microloans to the entrepreneurs. To date, students in the Social Entrepreneurship course have made 107 loans in 39 countries, totaling over $4,500.
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highlights 7TH GRADE
8TH GRADE
9TH GRADE
MEDIA AND PRESENTATION
MONEY MATTERS
INTRO TO APP DEVELOPMENT
In order to bring an idea to life, students must be able to communicate clearly and compellingly, making use of the latest in digital technology and video. In this 7th grade course, each student is tasked with crafting an original TED Talk on a topic of interest. The course culminates with students giving a live presentation to their classmates incorporating various media.
Students explore the variety of factors that drive the economy and how those factors affect their lives. Through project-based experiences, they learn the fundamentals of personal finance as well as the costs and considerations of starting a small business.
Students learn the foundations of app development through a blended learning experience of online tutorials and oneon-one mentorship. Students have the opportunity to apply this learning to their own original application in the 10th grade Capstone program.
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capstone All sophomores participate in the Capstone course—a unique, self-directed project experience. With the support of dedicated faculty mentors and access to specialized studios, students bring ideas inspired by their personal passions to life using the business, design, and technology skills learned in previous CEL classes. Students may elect to continue their work in their junior and senior years through the Venture Accelerator. Based on the focus of their project, 10th graders join one of five studios (App, Invention, New Media, Social Impact, or Startup). The studios are led by an interdisciplinary group of faculty (Engineering and Robotics, Art and New Media, Coding, Fabrication and Architecture, Design, and Mathematics) who serve as project mentors. The collaborative environment of the studios encourages students to take responsibility for their own self-directed project, share ideas with experts, and receive critical feedback to improve their work. At the end of the semester, students present their projects to the SCH community and are graded by a panel of industry experts.
App
Invention
New Media
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Social Impact
Startup
venture accelerator Students in their junior and senior years are eligible to apply for the Venture Accelerator. This culminating experience gives students the chance to fully launch the ideas that they have investigated, tested, and prototyped during their Capstone experience. Venture Accelerator students connect with various mentors and investors, hire staff, file for trademarks and legal business entities, raise initial startup capital, and sell in the marketplace.
I wanted to solve problems homeless people face daily: having to carry all of their possessions with them, live outside in extreme temperatures, keep their personal belongings dry in the rain, and keep a minimal amount of necessities to live comfortably.
~ Alexa ’22
STUDENT HIGHLIGHT
alexa THE CHALLENGE: for daily living and comfort.
THE SOLUTION: H.E.L.P.I.N.G. THE HOMELESS BACKPACKS Representing the ideals of healing, empowering, loving, providing, influencing, nourishing, and giving, the Homeless Backpack is filled with essential items, including a waterproof blanket for warmth at night and keeping belongings dry in the rain, a basic set of toiletries, and clothes.
VENTURE ACHIEVEMENTS: Over 500 backpacks donated to date | Over $30,000 in donations and in-kind product donations | First Place, Global Youth Entrepreneurship Competition | Senate Accommodation 9
Photo courtesy of Montgomery News/ Wendi Schweiger
Address homeless people’s lack of easy access to essentials
STUDENT HIGHLIGHT
Alysa and MIA To be an entrepreneur means to look at every problem as an opportunity for a creative solution.
~ Mia ’21
VENTURE ACHIEVEMENTS: Sonas to America has generated over $15,000 for the Sonas Weaving Village and is playing an important role in sustaining the village’s artisans and their families.
THE CHALLENGE: To help support an entrepreneurial village-based enterprise in Cambodia by expanding the market for its goods in the U.S.
THE SOLUTION: SONAS TO AMERICA On a school trip to Cambodia, Alysa lived in the Sonas Weaving Village, a self-sustaining community making hand-crafted products using locally resourced and grown materials. Alysa and her venture partner, Mia, created a nonprofit, which imports Sonas scarves, teas, soaps, and other fair-trade products to the U.S., where they are sold in retail stores and online. The girls donate 100% of the net proceeds back to the artisans.
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zach and ellie THE CHALLENGE: America’s youngest voters do not exert their political power and do not prepare themselves with the knowledge needed to be informed citizens.
For a student in high school to have a full semester to work on something
THE SOLUTION: FANTASY POLITICS
they are really passionate about—
A mobile app that combines the riveting entertainment of fantasy sports with the politics of our nation. In order to win, a player must follow election cycles, track politicians’ time in office, and gauge the American political climate.
there’s nothing else like it.
~ Zach ‘22
VENTURE ACHIEVEMENTS: Winner - 2021 Congressional App Award
STUDENT HIGHLIGHT
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I could not have found
bobby
elsewhere, like getting
CHALLENGE:
a full ride to college,
To inspire African American youth to pursue careers outside of sports and entertainment.
CEL gave me opportunities
making powerful
SOLUTION: REINE LIFESTYLE
mentor connections,
A clothing line with a social mission. Bobby’s mantra is that young people “can’t be what they can’t see.” Through its branding and marketing, REINE (pronounced rain) highlights the stories of successful African American artists, activists, and entrepreneurs in order to inspire the leaders of tomorrow.
and launching my own clothing line. ~ bobby ’19
VENTURE ACHIEVEMENTS: World Series of Entrepreneurship Award Winner | Hult International School of Business Scholar Award Recipient
ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT
CENTER FOR ENTREPR
2020-2021
8 Awards Earned! | Collectively, 2020-2021 CEL students earned $10,000 in scholarships and grants in competitions such as Global Youth Entrepreneurship, Rising Starters, and Tiger Global Case Competition.
70+ Ventures Launched | Each semester, as part of the CEL sophomore Capstone course, students design, showcase, and launch a project/business/product, either as an individual or member of a team.
To see more program highlights go to www.sch.org/CEL 12
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Building on an award-winning program; a one-of-a-kind, trademarked
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celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2021.
ceeal rs
and patented curriculum (adopted internationally); and a network of more than 1,000 graduates, the Sands Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
By emphasizing an entrepreneurial mindset and integrating problem solving and design thinking across the curriculum, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership gives SCH students a competitive advantage in our rapidly changing job market. ~ Ian P. Sladen, Vice President, Corporate Education and Career Development, Drexel University
ENEURIAL LEADERSHIP
highlights
$40k Raised for Social Impact Initiatives | From backpacks for the homeless to microloans for small business enterprises in developing countries, our students are learning the importance of philanthropy and using their entrepreneurial ingenuity to give back. CEL Media Coverage | The Philadelphia Inquirer, Glenside Local, Citizen, Chestnut Hill Local, and NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox News all featured SCH student entrepreneurs in their news programs and papers in 2020-2021.
springside chestnut hill academy 500 West Willow Grove Avenue • Philadelphia, PA 19118-4198 215-247-7007 | SCH.ORG