Sometimes school can get boring and repetitive after taking the same classes over and over. Teachers lecturing, taking notes all day five days a week. Countering this repeated teaching style, SPARK! Incubator, located at the Chesterfield Mall, equips students with business and life skills in a hands-on learning environment that allows them to create and work on their own business ideas.
High schoolers from all over the district leave during the school day and meet at a little space in the mall in order to create and expand their own businesses. Depending on the school, they meet every day or every other day. Because of the way Parkway Central schedules, these students attend Incubator at the beginning of each day.
“SPARK! provides students with a great opportunity to get out of the classroom and really explore what they like to do,” junior and co-owner of Tidal Wave Hats Tyler Ramatowski said.
Tidal Wave Hats is the company that Ramatowski and junior Johnny Wichlenski own and work on at SPARK! They sell hats to the general public with a signature wave on the front in all different colors and combinations.
The Incubator program prepares young business leaders to get out into the real world, make connections and get a head start in the field. Among other opportunities to explore business skills, participants get the chance to build a network of mentors. To do this, well-known business leaders come to SPARK! and give advice on a range of topics relating to each individual’s business.
“They lead the way and show us what is a good or bad idea,” Ramatowski said. “We never have to take their advice, but we have to listen to what they suggest. I know that if I need something or assistance I have tons of connections that I can reach out to.”
Although Incubator offers a unique schooling environment, there are not too many assignments or strict deadlines. The class is more of a time set aside to get work done for the business.
“It’s really hard to stay on task because nobody is babysitting you,” Wichlenski said. “You’re just expected to get the work done and so sometimes without a teacher or parent there it’s really hard not to goof around with the friends.”
SPARK! is sa place to work on business skills and advance on an already established company idea. For example, junior and owner of WLDWLF films Jordan Chervitz had already started doing film production and videography before he took interest in SPARK!
“SPARK! pushes you to limits that will benefit you, but you have to be willing to struggle to get to the end of the tunnel,” Chervitz said. “It does not save you time, but it will help you find better uses for that time to get you to grow as an individual and entrepreneur.”
With WLDWLF films, pronounced Wild Wolf, Chervitz films and produces a variety of videos for his costumers. Before SPARK!, he produced films on the side by his own name.
Because Incubator is not located at school, participants must go to the SPARK! space at the beginning of the day and then travel back to Central.
“We usually have time in between the end of SPARK! and the start of school,” Chervitz said. “That means free time to do homework, get lunch, go home or just relax.”
Each person has their own field of work and delves into that topic. The program offers tools and skills needed to expand and make a business idea a reality.
“SPARK! gave me the time, connections and resources to develop it into an actual business,” Chervitz said. “I’ve met mentors who have helped me progress light years with my professional communication and videography skills. I’ve actually created a legal company with a bank account and everything with the advice from SPARK! I started from nothing and used SPARK! time to come up with official colors, logos, and more.”
Granting that each business leader has their own niche of ideas and goals, a common theme is that they all want to take an idea and create something bigger and better. Hobbies and even just passing thoughts can ‘spark’ new business ideas.
“My friend and I were looking for something to do because we were always interested in entrepreneurship and starting our own business, so we came to the conclusion that we wanted to do something with hats because we were really into that at the time,” Wichlenski said.
It is not necessary to go into the Incubator strand of SPARK! with a business idea in mind, but it is common to do so. Often these genius business ideas come from hobbies and outside interests.
“The idea for the business just came from me doing it on the side under my own name to make money,” Chervitz said. “I realized I could take this hobby that I’ve had so much practice doing and actually take it to the next level.”
Incubator encourages out-of-classroom learning specifically developing business skills, but is also a class that is meant to follow students throughout life. The expertise that is formed ranges from learning to work independently to high-level business tools.
“SPARK! taught me a lot because it’s one class you can really use for the rest of your life, compared to chemistry and all that where some people won’t use it ever again,” Wichlenski said.