Social Entrepreneurs Consult with First Grade Clients

Each year, Upper School Social Entrepreneurship (SE) teacher Annette Lesak leads an effort to inform students about the ways individuals and organizations use business skills and strategies to innovatively and sustainably solve social, environmental and economic problems.

While students in her class spend the semester engaged in authentic educational experiences, case studies, curated readings and outside speakers, Lesak is always looking for ways to improve the overall experience. Most recently, she introduced a new project that aims to close a knowledge gap she identified in students during the past few years.

Most students in her class had little to no exposure to Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. Given that Lesak’s final SE projects sometimes require students to design and 3D-print a prototype of their startup projects, she saw a real opportunity for growth and collaborated with 1st grade students in Beverly Greenberg’s classroom for an applied learning project.

Upper School SE students met with their younger counterparts in small groups, seated around their desks. Older students played the role of consultants, querying the younger ones about what they might like to add, omit or change on their desks to make them better, more exciting or more user friendly.

With open and honest direction provided by their 1st grade clients, Upper School students used Tinkercad software to design a variety of add-ons and modifications to the 1st grade students’ existing desktop organizers. Products included stuffed animal holders, pencil holders, water bottle stabilizers and more.