Next fall will bring an exciting change to the Olentangy business departments… the Applied Economics class will be replaced with a new course titled “Entrepreneurship” and will be a year long option for Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors. The course will be offered at all four high schools and OOHS students will be able to count it towards one of their three required courses to be eligible for National Business Honor Society.

Mrs Gellenbeck will be the instructor here at Orange and her passion for entrepreneurship will hopefully shine through in this new opportunity for students! She will be working hard this summer and into the next school year to collaborate & plan the course, as well as gain community member guest speakers & mentors, in order to have a successful year piloting the program.

Here is a blurb from Incubator Edu, the company that helped develop the curriculum for this new class…

“Throughout this hands-on course, students ideate, develop, and iterate their own product or service startup in an attempt to gain investment funds in a final shark-tank style pitch event. Real entrepreneurs and business experts serve as volunteer coaches and mentors guiding student teams through the processes of developing hypotheses about a business concept, testing those hypotheses, adapting, and continually learning and improving. The businesses students build are real – they are not businesses cases or simulated experiences – which means students experience mistakes, take risks, and learn to pivot based on market needs. Students leave the course with a completed Business Model Canvas, competitive analysis, financial model, minimum viable product, pitch deck, future communications plan, and future funding plan.”

At least in year one of the course, students here at OOHS will also have a chance to help with our student-run tshirt business, Orange Apparel Co. We hope that the course is successful enough to eventually expand to second year class for students that want to elaborate upon their business concept in further detail.

Come see Mrs Gellenbeck or an OOHS counselor for more information. We hope to see YOU as the next successful entrepreNEER!