Next up into the tank is Webster Groves elementary school student Shari Bloom, who has a twist on the age-old backpack. This 4th grader is bound and determined to change the world with her entrepreneurial new business idea she calls the 'Pillow Pack.' As Shari approaches the microphone in front of an auditorium filled with teachers, classmates, friends, and family, she begins her pitch:
"My laptop, phone, extra hoody, and heavy books put a real strain on my back and shoulders, which slows me down and will ruin my posture by the time I reach 6th grade. So I created the Pillow Pack."
Shari continues her pitch by presenting her product prototype to the judges. It is a backpack with two pillows replacing the straps. The audience applauds, and Shari collapses with exhaustion, having just completed her first WG Thrive pitch competition.
Encouraging young minds to innovate new business ideas and step into entrepreneurship sparked the Webster Groves School District to establish the WG Thrive Program for Elementary, Middle, and High School students. The WG Thrive student incubator program provides a safe, innovative, and challenging environment that exposes students to real entrepreneurial opportunities with the support of industry and community leaders.
The Webster Groves, Shrewsbury, Rock Hill, and Brentwood Area Chamber of Commerce works with the School District to secure grants that support the program and award student ventures with cash prizes. The Chamber is proud to support WG Thrive with a panel of judges and the competition's emcee.
WG Thrive is a program designed to tap into the limitless creativity of problem-solving. Drawing from their own interests, students are driven by personal experience and passion to fuel their ideas. They learn how to identify a problem, innovate a solution, validate through research, and break through the fears often associated with presenting in front of an audience. The net result is growth, confidence, and maybe a check.
These young students are the future of the Chamber of Commerce as they learn the building blocks of entrepreneurship. They experience the thrill of winning and the agony of defeat. WG Thrive is a great learning opportunity for real-life lessons beyond business.
The WG Thrive pitch competition teaches students the fine art of storytelling. The process challenges students to simplify their ideas into a digestible five minutes. Every word becomes a currency that must be invested with an intention that takes the audience through a three-act play. In the first act, they learn how to open strong with drama, suspense, and emotion as they stage the 'problem.' The middle act rallies around the solution, with the ending act recapping the traction and asking the audience to help seed their idea. What follows is a rousing round of applause and maybe a standing ovation.
Standing in front of your peers, teachers, friends, and family can be a very daunting experience. Overcoming nerves is a huge accomplishment and one to celebrate for most students. Gaining confidence at a young age and breaking through fear pays huge benefits beyond that moment on stage. That feeling of accomplishment stays with students throughout their lives and continues to grow as they mature into the world.
WG Thrive students develop an intense pilot light that burns strong with a tenacity to plow through challenges and a thick skin not to be offended by feedback. Entrepreneurial spirit requires a warrior's will and a survivor's resilience to never give up.
WG Thrive sets the standard as an ideal example of how public education, business, and local community can partner to provide real-world, practical skills for the future workforce. The WG Thrive program invests in creating incredible entrepreneurs, but it also invests in teaching kids how to conquer their world.
For more information about the Webster Groves/Shrewsbury/Rock Hill/Brentwood Chamber visit webstershrewsburychamber.com
For more information about WG Thrive visit webster.k12.mo.us/programs/thrive-incubator.
"Encouraging young minds to innovate new ideas and step into entrepreneurship sparked the Webster Groves School District to establish the Thrive Program."