Verizon Innovative Learning Schools

Verizon Innovative Learning Schools works side-by-side with schools and districts to get internet-connected devices into the hands of students and to enhance how teachers use technology in the classroom. By combining our strengths, Digital Promise and Verizon aim to increase digital equity and support students, teachers, and schools in unlocking the potential of technology to transform teaching and learning.

Receiving a Grade 7 Science assignment on my timetable in September 2022 was a brand new opportunity for me. Having taught rotary Grade 8 Science to multiple classes for several years, this new assignment offered an opportunity to explore fresh ideas with a new grade and curriculum. I was excited to dig into the new ideas with a new group of students, and it was a nice shake up to my week of grade 8. I’m always looking for new and innovative ways to engage with students in my classes. The days of the traditional science fair projects are long gone for me. There’s nothing better than engaging students with innovative and creative ways to meet our curriculum expectations.

In 2022, I immersed myself into different experiential learning projects with my students. I approached one of my colleagues, Cameron Wallace, who I was already collaborating with, about creating a social entrepreneurship project with our two grade 7 classes. Shortly after, “Fisher for the Future” was born. Through both of our grade 7 classes, “Fisher for the Future” became a completely student-driven social entrepreneurship project focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

A Social Entrepreneurship Project (SEP) is a hands-on project that combines entrepreneurial skills with helping a social cause. Often, SEPs donate a portion of their profits to a local charity related to their product. Social Entrepreneurship Projects are a fantastic way to bring experiential learning into the classroom and I thought the kids would enjoy the experience.

In our case, students researched the various elements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and selected those that most interested them. They then framed and shared their ideas with the rest of the class, identifying the benefits, purpose, and merits associated with that goal. My students landed on Climate Action (SDG 13), and Mr. Wallace’s students selected Zero Hunger (SDG 2). From there, students started brainstorming different ideas and products that they could create and market to support a local charity of their choosing. Students discovered a multitude of wonderful ideas and we ultimately decided on three products; “Hive and Thrive” beeswax wraps, “Seeds for Success” seed paper, and “Growing for Change” plant starter kits.

Starting a SEP is no small task, but Cameron and I were amazed by what our students were able to accomplish. Students developed original business names and logos to match, created a business plan that included the cost to source materials, identified local businesses to purchase materials, and calculated the sale price in order to ensure profit. They developed marketing plans, business pitches, and even packaging. Each day, we saw renewed excitement and anticipation in our students as they hastily entered the classroom excited to take part in the project. Nearly everyday a student would ask if they could work through the recess breaks. The excitement and buzz in our classrooms is what learning is all about. Other than occasional guidance from the teachers, students had full ownership over this project. This kind of engagement and deep learning forms long-lasting memories and experiences with students. It’s the type of activity that they will remember in 20 years when they recall their middle school years.

The excitement and buzz in our classrooms is what learning is all about.

While we created this project as a collaboration for that school year, to our surprise we were approached by several students who participated in the project, asking if “Fisher for the Future” could be turned into a club due to their enjoyment of the project during the previous year. Can you imagine? Your students like a project so much that they want to continue doing it even once their class is done? That is the kind of thing teachers only dream of.

It was a great feeling when students approached us to turn Fisher in for the future into a club…I think it really was a testament to the project itself and to the work the students did and how meaningful it was for them and their life and their community that they went out of their way to continue it.

Students are full of creativity, innovation, and ideas. When you give them the space to explore and have a bit of ownership over a project, there is no end to the lengths they will go.

Experiential learning can seem big and scary, but it is truly an empowering and engaging experience for students. There are many different ways to bring experiential learning projects into your classroom. I encourage all teachers to find a way to bring this teaching method into their classroom to benefit their students. No idea is too big or too small!

“I will be continuing to do entrepreneurship and experiential learning projects for the rest of my career because I see the benefit that it has on students.”

• Register for the Ciena Solutions Challenge: Through March 6, 2025, educators can submit student projects and apply for a $3,000 Sustainability Award. Have questions? Email us at cienachallenge@digitalpromise.org.
• Learn more about the Fisher for the Future Project and other student-led projects from around the world in the Ciena Solutions Challenge Project Gallery.
• Showcase student work at the 2025 YouthMADE Festival: The 2025 YouthMADE Festival will be from May 5-18, 2025. Sign up for our newsletter on youthmade.org to receive updates about the upcoming YouthMADE Festival.