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ABOVE: From left are Crystal Lorimor of the Community Improvement Corp. of Belmont County and Create Our Future; Amber Marshall, intervention specialist; Nathaniel Boothe; Bellaire High School Principal Scot McMahon; Antonio Bonfini; Derek Ault, special education coordinator; Ellen Rossi, president of the EQT Foundation; and Cathy Moore, treasurer for Bellaire Local Schools.
BELLAIRE — Thanks to a generous donation from the EQT Foundation and collaboration between the Bellaire Local School District, the Community Improvement Corp. of Belmont County and the nonprofit Create Our Future, students at Bellaire High School will be learning about entrepreneurship first hand.
The students will be making and selling their own products on the e-commerce site edcorps.org/shop/genesis. They are starting with customized plant kits for nature lovers. Customers can choose which type of seeds they want, and the students will customize the pots.
Under the leadership of teacher Amber Marshall, students will see how the skills they learn in school are applied to the real world. A project likes this allows students with an interest in art to see how their skills are important to a business. A student with an understanding of Excel can help with the money aspect.
“This is a student-led approach to learning entrepreneurial skills along with other soft skills such as communication, teamwork, creativity and interpersonal skills,” Marshall said. “Our students are working hard to kickstart the program, and we are thrilled to pilot this unique learning experience unlike any other in Belmont County. We are thankful to our administration for being very supportive of our efforts to try something new and we are lucky to have the help from Create Our Future and the Community Improvement Corporation of Belmont County for bringing our school and EQT together to create such an innovative program.”
The students have named their business, designed their logo and thought of a product. They will be responsible for making the product, posting it on the site, taking orders and then filling and shipping orders.
Thanks to the EQT Foundation, the students will have the supplies and equipment to start their business. They’ll have access to a CNC machine, a Cricket machine and more to help make their products unique.
“It is one thing for students to be taught skills in a classroom from a textbook or case studies. It’s another thing to roll up their sleeves, dig in, and do the work; to take the responsibility and face the risks and challenges on their own business,” said Ellen Rossi, president of the EQT Foundation. “We are hoping to support these students through learning these life-skills, as well as develop an appeal and zest for business acumen.”
“We are excited to help foster creativity and innovation among youth. We want them to see that they play a vital role in creating the future of their communities,” explained Crystal Lorimor, director of the Community Improvement Corp. “With this collaboration, we can help fill gaps that we see in other entrepreneurship programs. The students will learn not just the bigger concepts of entrepreneurship, but also that when in Ohio, there are specific things that must be done to start a business. After the students graduate, if they want to start their own business, we will help them.”
Bellaire Superintendent Derrick McAfee added, “The EQT project at Bellaire High School is incredibly exciting. Our students are going to experience the real world stresses, successes and failures that come with operating a small business. I am extraordinarily proud of everybody who has taken the initiative to bring this opportunity to our school.”
Talks are in the works with the Ohio Valley Farmers’ Market about the students selling their products at the market once the businesses are created, likely without a lot of overhead but with the support and encouragement from experienced vendors and market staff.
“One long-term goal is that we will have innovative new businesses that can start to fill some of our downtown spaces again,” said Lorimor. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but with collaboration from entities like this and from others in the area, I believe we can create the communities where we want to live.”
All of this came about because Amber Marshall signed her class up for Minnow Tank last fall.
Minnow Tank was a competition where teams that must include students and adults come up with potential businesses that satisfy certain criteria. When Lorimor had conversations with Ellen Rossi and another nonprofit, she saw an opportunity for a pilot program in Belmont County.
Thinking of the Bellaire students’ creativity and Marshall’s enthusiasm in Minnow Tank, she reached out about this new possibility.
When the Bellaire’s e-commerce site is live, announcements will be made on the school district’s Facebook page as well as on Create Our Future and the Community Improvement Corp. of Belmont County’s Facebook pages.
If you would like to support projects like this or for information about bringing an entrepreneurship program to your school and community, contact Lorimor at lorimor@belmontcic.com.
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