Are you a business?
Technically we’re an “EdCorp” or Education Corporation. That means we are a business that is ran inside of a school classroom. We provide real world learning opportunities for high school students through the creation of websites and presenting at conferences. We focus on learning real-world “soft skills” like collaboration, communication and what it means to be a young professional. But we are more than a business. To students at Elida High School, we are considered a “club”.
So you’re a club?
If students call us that, it’s fine. The phrase “school club” isn’t our favorite because it conjures up images of clubs having meetings so that they can elect officers who then plan more meetings about who’s bringing food to upcoming meetings. Some clubs are just a membership, with no stated goals other than resumé material. At Grit9, we have a mission.
So what’s your mission? WHY does Grit9 exist?
Glad you asked. We exist to turn young people into young professionals.
Ok, but how?
Young professionals are created through experience, not by the delivery of a piece of paper or by having enough candles on your birthday cake. Any working professional can attest that being in the “professional” world doesn’t mean everyone acts like a true professional with maturity, respect, and responsibility.
We help students become “young professionals” through experiences that meet some qualifications:
- The project MATTERS to the student (We like to use the tagline “Solve problems that matter”)
- The project has meaning BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, in the real world. (We don’t care for simulations. Do it. The real it.)
- There is opportunity to ITERATE, to IMPROVE upon previous mistakes.
Neat. So WHAT do you do again?
Students can get involved on two fronts:
- Tech & Entrepreneurship Class: This is where the business is really ran. I am a student in my own class. At course scheduling time in the spring, students that wish to join next years class must setup an interview with me, like a job interview. In T&E we practice asking good questions. How do we grow our business? What feedback can previous clients offer us to improve our workflow? How do we recruit and train new students to take over for graduating seniors?
- Grit9 Club meetings: The 2nd Tuesday of every month is our official meeting day, but we frequently have spontaneous meetings with smaller groups to move projects forward between the big meetings. Think of the big meetings as the company-wide updates with ice-breakers, team building fun activities, etc., and the real work gets done during the smaller spontaneous meetings. At the meetings, students can get involved in:
- Service Projects – We have teamed up with Elida’s “Good Vibes” club (service club) to put together student-designed service projects. Can’t find a project you love? Design one that matters to you. Recruit people for it. See an officer or Mr. Suter for details.
- Skill Development – With annual turnover, we need fresh faces to learn the ropes. The more you can learn before a client is sitting across from you, looking at you expectantly to do some wizardry on that computer, you can get trained from one of our many friendly T&E members. See Mr. Suter for details and custom schedule setup.
Anything Else?
Nope. Glad we had this talk.
