New curriculum partners Lake high schools with INCubatoredu and local businesses
Starting this fall, Lake County high school students will have the opportunity to create business concepts and pitch them to local leaders through a new partnership the district has formed with INCubatoredu, a national entrepreneurship program, founded by Uncharted Learning NFP, to integrate entrepreneurial skills and knowledge into high school Career and Technical Education.
This new curriculum, developed by successful business leaders, gives students the tools, knowledge and understanding to start their own businesses and test their ideas in the real world. In an engaging year-long program of study, student teams will identify a problem to solve, create a business model, manufacture and market a product or service, and test/iterate their results.
The process culminates in a pitch night similar to that seen on the entrepreneurial-themed reality TV show “Shark Tank,” where entrepreneurs make business presentations to wealthy “sharks” who decide whether to invest in their company. In the high school version, student teams pitch their concepts to local community business leaders for funding to finance their initiatives in the real world. Throughout the program, students learn critical business and life skills such as adaptability, resilience and teamwork.
Paramount to this effort are the generous time and resources contributed by the Lake business community. From local chambers of commerce to Mid-Florida SCORE to Florida’s high-tech corridor, community leaders are stepping up to serve as mentors, guest speakers and judges, advising student teams through the process.
Both Tavares and Eustis high schools start the curriculum this fall. Teachers at South Lake, Mount Dora and East Ridge high schools will spend the year planning, with the intention to launch with students in the fall of 2022.
The district is always looking for experienced adults who are willing to contribute their time and expertise in one of the following roles:
· Guest Speakers (Coaches): Speak with classes on a given topic and infuse your experiences and expertise. The time commitment is about three hours per year.
· Mentors: Work with a group of students on their specific project throughout the year. Time commitment ranges from one hour per week to one hour per month.
· Advisory Council Members: Advise on curriculum development and best practices as well as provide community resource support. Time commitment is about one hour per month.
To learn more about the program, register as a volunteer or follow the progress of our students, please visit our web page athttps://sites.google.com/lake.k12.fl.us/lake-county-schools-incubator/home or email Nikki Sauerbrey at SauerbreyN@Lake.k12.fl.us.
