Testimonials

Student Perspective:

“Thrive is an amazing learning opportunity for students to engage in the real business world.  We’ve learned everything from how to write professional emails to how to host our own selling event.  All of this couldn’t be possible without our mentors, who we love!” BK (student)

“Thrive gives me the opportunity and the freedom to create my own learning path.  It gives me real-world experience that I could never get in a normal classroom setting.” -CK (student)

 “Thrive gives you the autonomy to make learning engaging and fun.  The opportunities provided are unmatched within the community.  We also made over $1000 each, so the potential for real profit at school exists.” -TK (student)

Parent Perspective:

“I want to pass on how enthralled our entire family is with the start of the THRIVE program this year! We can hardly wait for ____ to get home from practice every day so we can hear what he did at school. Our kids have had great experiences thus far at WGHS, but this feels special. THRIVE has given us a chance to connect with our very busy Senior in a unique way. And we love that!  My heart could burst with gratitude for Mrs. Siebe. She is actually helping ________ to do something with the rest of his life that he loves. She has tapped into his strong analytical skill set and somehow unleashed creativity that we maybe had not fully appreciated. His life, and our lives, will be forever impacted by her teaching and care. Amazing.” -HK 

“The class does an exceptional job of helping students develop important skills such as problem-solving, entrepreneurial and innovative thinking, teamwork, networking, and persuasion, to name a few. They are learning the skills in a real, hands-on manner that will allow them to translate into situations they face when they leave high school. Regardless of whether any of their companies continue after the course, the skills they develop will.

The class is also special because of how the students actively engage with the course and the community. When ___ signed up for the course, we were uncertain on how it would turn out. He has come home proactively talking about what he learned about businesses, excited about the product they have created, and discussing the issues their team is working through. Today, he gave us a tour of the website he and the team created. Other days, he has talked about the people he has met at businesses in St. Louis and what he learned. Enthusiasm is exactly what a parent wants to hear from their kids about school!

Finally, the class is an excellent way for students to differentiate themselves for college applications and job applications. How many 18-year-olds own company that they have created? _____ used this in his college applications. We know that some of his friends have shared the story of the class in their interviews.

Much of the credit for this course goes to Mrs. Siebe. She designed the course in way to achieve the items described above and to help the students develop their businesses. WashU has a similar course at the business school, and this course is every bit as good. She has the students interacting with people and businesses in Webster Groves and St. Louis community, which we really like. Finally, she seems to be motivating the students effectively and getting the most out of them. ___ came home on Friday saying – ‘Siebe did it again’, which meant she had come up with another way to help the students build their business.

Many thanks to WGHS for offering this course. It has probably been the most beneficial class ___ has taken.” -KD

 

Sponsor Perspective:

 “Having a different perspective and understanding of what it takes to pilot a program like Thrive, the headway that Kara and Steve have made is nothing short of exceptional.  Not only was the event (pitch competition) extremely well done, but the pitches were on a level that I have never seen before.  It is evident that the students are taking the program seriously and it is making a difference in their lives / academic experience.  This would not happen without strong leadership and support for the program.  I commend your district’s efforts and faith in the program… you are achieving the program’s mission “To help students cultivate critical, transformative professional skills beneficial in preparing them to succeed in a fast-paced, continually changing, competitive workplace.” -Todd Smith (Sponsor of a Pitch Night for Thrive)