June 24, 2024

Dr. Beth Reaves – Head of School, Washington School for Girls (WSG)

Washington School for Girls (WSG) middle school students had the opportunity to develop and launch a new business with support from business mentors. The Entrepreneurship Project was created to help students apply math to an area of personal interest and showcase how math concepts exist outside of traditional academic learning.

WSG partnered with volunteers from National Real Estate Advisors to bring this project to life. Employees from National served as business mentors and gave presentations to students about their areas of professional expertise. The company offered a cash prize to fund the start-up costs of a winning business. Students also took a field trip to National’s downtown Washington, DC, corporate offices.

Students learned the basics about running a business: creating a business plan, projecting revenues and expenses, marketing and branding, developing a pitch for investors, and more. Some students elected to work on their own, while others collaborated on joint ventures.

Proposed businesses included custom-made jewelry, a pop-up cafe, a line of self-care products, to-order cupcake catering, an in-school snack stand, and commissioned original drawings. This project allowed some students to expand activities they had already been working on independently; for others, it was their first time diving into entrepreneurship.

After developing their business plans, students scripted and recorded pitch videos for a final competition. A winner was selected from each grade, receiving a $100 prize, and an overall winner was selected to receive a $200 prize to launch her business.