Mountain Lakes Public School District is excited about partnering with local community members and neighboring businesses in designing LAKER LAUNCH, a planned four-year entrepreneurial and business program that will empower our students in becoming future leaders and creative problem solvers. As part of this program, students will analyze case studies, run the Entrepreneur Club's burgeoning e-commerce platforms, and design and launch their own student businesses!
Our program provides authentic and problem-based learning opportunities that will empower students to employ entrepreneurial thinking. Regardless of what path our students will forge in the future, we know they will graduate ready to shape the future through critical thinking, leadership and enterprise.
Entrepreneurship 1 -- Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Grade Level 9-10; 2.5 Credits - Semester
Although Introduction to Entrepreneurship is a semester-long course that begins the program, it is more than just an introductory class. Rather, it is a stand-alone course that not only fulfills the state's Financial Literacy graduation requirement, but also will help students foster an entrepreneurial mindset to recognize the intersections among various disciplines and topics including technology and design. This mindset directly correlates with our district's current Long Range Education Plan in which we strive to prepare our students to be innovative and resilient in today's changing times.
Students will analyze businesses and research successes and failures by examining case studies in each of the nine units: customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure. Students will then apply their learning as they cross-train in each of those departments with the Entrepreneur Club's e-commerce business.
Entrepreneurship 2: Selling Yourself and Your Business
Prerequisite: Completion of Entrepreneurship 1 OR previous membership in the Entrepreneurship Club
Grade Level: 10-11; 5 Credits - Full Year
Building on the skills and lessons from the MLHS Entrepreneurial Club sessions or the Introduction class, this year-long course focuses on marketing and business communications. This course is designed to help you sharpen your writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills to help you succeed in the business world. In the second half of the course, you will explore core concepts and tools to help you better understand and excel in marketing. Key topics include Market Research and its importance to strategy, brand strategy, pricing, integrated marketing communication, social media strategy, and more. Students will then head the marketing and customer relationship departments for the Entrepreneur Club's e-commerce business.
This class can fulfill the practical arts graduation requirement.
Entrepreneurship 3 & 4 will be added to the Program of Studies in the next two years. These courses will focus on finance, leadership, and business iteration in which students are expected to launch their own businesses.
Proposed E-3 Honors Course: Finance & New Venture Creation. This full-year course will have students investigate incubator start-ups to learn finances and demystify venture capitalism. Students will focus on developing their own business plan while planning a product development design. We hope to take an optional trip over the summer to an international business hub to learn more about production.
Proposed E-4 Honors Course: Learn & Launch. Students will research management styles, examine legal risks, and finally launch their New Venture as a capstone project for our program. We plan on making room in our trophy cases for our first Mountain Lakes patent! Will it be yours?
An optional international trip to study business operations may be part of the program during the summer of 2019.