The project stemmed originally from a science and sociology project where students studied third world countries in dire need of fresh water and then the technology necessary to purify the water they do have. Teams of students selected countries and then developed conceptual strategies for purifying water for them. Each team presented their water purification projects to the faculty and administration.
The projects were evaluated and refined. Then the teams switched projects and they were challenged to develop a pitch to angel investors to raise the capital necessary to take their project to the next level. The mission was to give students a sense of what it is like to convince other people of the merits of their ideas in order to secure investment capital.
Last Wednesday a collection of business people and educators gathered to be the angel investors for the students. Justin Wheeles, the Science Instructional Coach, briefed everyone on the nature of the student challenge. Jennifer Morgan, the Business Instructional Coach, gave the “Angel Investors” Monopoly money with the advice that they should only invest in the very best projects if they choose to invest in any projects.
The students nervously began to assemble their project boards, prototypes and PowerPoint presentations glancing anxiously at the prospective investors. They tried to imagine how the investors would react to their pitch.
“The student experience was as close to the real-world experience as possible. I have made dozens of pitches to angel investors for startup investment capital. This exercise closely approximates the experiences that I have had,” said Sam McCormick who is the Co-Founder of Must-Innov8, Inc. “It was hard to believe as we watched the presentations that the presenters were 9th graders and this was only their second major presentation to outsiders. While they have much to learn about the marketing process, all of the presentations were good and a few were great.”
James Fitzgerald, the CEO of the Valley Academy, said, “Each of the teams was filmed as they presented to the investors. The student teams will have the opportunity to review their presentations and self-critique them. Then their presentations will be reviewed by other teams. The review process involves identifying the strengths of their presentation and the specific areas that need improvement. The students understood since their first week at Valley that a rigorous balanced evaluation process is the only way that they can improve individually and improve as a team.”
Theresa Reynolds, the Career Counselor/Business Liaison, said, “The teams that attracted the most investment dollars will be invited to present to Valley Academy’s Future Ready Skills Business Advisory Board. It is an advisory board composed of executives from companies in aeronautics, health care, logistics, marketing and advanced manufacturing. The board has guided the faculty since their very first day at Valley Academy on strategies for developing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and 21st century skills (critical thinking, communications, problem solving, etc.) that these companies seek when they are recruiting. Everything that we do at Valley Academy is designed to ensure that when our students graduate they are exceptionally well prepared for college, career and life.”
Joe Kronner, Co-Founder of Must-Innov8, Inc., reflected on how Valley Academy is responding to the needs of major employer’s across the Piedmont Region. Kronner said, “The research that we did on behalf of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, the region’s economic developers, guided us with regard to the skills the region’s large employers need in their workforce. We were then asked to survey best practices in STEM education across the nation to identify the programs most likely to meet the needs of business. Valley Academy is benchmarking against the very best schools that we saw. They have added the integration of business needs and ideas on soft skill development. Valley Academy is rapidly becoming a template for the school of the future for the Piedmont Triad Region, North Carolina and ultimately for the nation. While the school is still in its infancy, it is easy to imagine how these 9th graders will exceed the expectations of industry and higher education.”
“The learning curve for the faculty and our students has been daunting during the last 7 months. There were times it was frankly terrifying. It has been an experience I would not trade for anything. I know we are nowhere close to the summit in our climb, but I have every confidence that we will reach the summit. None of our faculty can imagine ever returning to a traditional classroom environment. This has been an awesome experience and it gets better every day,” said Samantha Murchison, the Math Instructional Coach. “As a math geek with a high need for closure, it was hard at times to envision how the pieces could possible come together in ways that would help students soar to heights they never imagined. That is exactly what is happening. These kids are developing passion for science, technology, engineering and math while developing 21st century skills that make them a well-rounded individual. It is an amazing transformation process.”
“We have been meeting with students, faculty and administration from Valley Academy every two or three months. I have been astounded at their ability to consistently exceed my expectations. Their progress is on a “tail-walking” trajectory. It is hard to imagine what the final “product” will look like when it is time for graduation. If their initial progress is any indication, the final outcome will be stunning,” Must-Innov8’s McCormick said with a huge grin. “It has been a long journey and it is exciting to see this kind of progress.”
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