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Swimming With The Sharks! MUMS Summer Program Celebrates Entrepreneurship

The MUMS Young Entrepreneurs of Shark Tank Start Up program.
photo by Photo Provided
The MUMS Young Entrepreneurs of Shark Tank Start Up program.
Friday's Foodaroo: Students baked and offered critique of other teams' food products.
photo by Photo Provided
Friday's Foodaroo: Students baked and offered critique of other teams' food products.

Tuesday July 7, 2015

By Cookie Steponaitis

If you ask most teenagers what summer school is about, you would hear replies like reading, writing and mathematics. However, for the eighteen students enrolled in the MUMS Shark Tank Start Up, summer school is anything but traditional.
    The MUMS program integrates the Common Core Standards with transferable real world skills, a dash of inspiration and enrichment that is invitational and rigorous academics in the structure of an academic camp setting.“Teams of our young entrepreneurs will present their food products and business marketing plans to a panel of celebrity sharks,” explained MUMS teacher and program creator Martha Santa Maria. “Our sharks are successful business owners in the Champlain Valley and as of today include Laura Flint, Owner of Subway & UPS; John Rouse, Owner of Rouse’s Tire. Sonia Jarrin, Owner of Sonia’Salsas, and Mark Perrin, Owner of Green Peppers. Other than students acquiring essential academic concepts and strengthening their skills, the goals for the students include taking calculated risks, developing their special talents and building productive partnerships within our community.”
    The program might appear to the casual observer as a takeoff of the reality television show Shark Tank, but in reality it carefully integrates into the days and weeks the strengthening of mathematics, economics, reading, writing, speaking and technology skills by using analysis and research skills to create a viable product. Students read articles, analyze the mindsets and traits of successful entrepreneurs while developing their own logos, write their own commercials, determine the valuation of business and understanding of money and taxes as they calculate expenses, profit, equity shares and cook a food product. They design their packaging and collaborate with each other and the professionals to create a finished product. “Most importantly,” expressed Jenn Billings, the math teacher, "the students learn to take risks, hone their leadership skills and think outside the box.”
    The program has not only sparked an interest in the MUMS summer school students but in the business community as well. “We are simply overwhelmed,” shared Santa Maria.  “In addition to the business sharks, many other people have contributed their experiences to our students. Kurt Broderson, the Isley Library and MCTV, Grover Usilton, Vice President at National Bank of Middlebury, and Robin Scheu, Executive Director for Addison County Economic Development Corporation, Sara Spencer from Got Clicks? and Jon Isham, Director of Middlebury College’s Center for Social Entrepreneurship are introducing the students to using technology, business plans, marketing plans and start up experiences from successful young business owners.
    The program was funded, in part, through an ACEEF grant and Hannaford Grocery Store has also donated numerous items to help fund the food expenses. Local young entrepreneurs Riley, Bailey and Lucas Farrell, along with their mother Hannah Zeno share their experiences of their new business The Baked Bean Project. “The community has embraced this program,” commented Santa Maria. “The students recognize and truly appreciate all the positive energy, expertise and effort shown by the community.”
    The community is invited to see this innovative program presented on Friday, July 17th at 10:00 a.m. at the Middlebury Union Middle School where the live showcase and filming of the Shark Tank Experience will be held.
    The Valley Voice will be keeping an eye on the new budding entrepreneurial Sharks at Middlebury Middle School as summer rolls along and will be on hand to taste the finished new products. Swimming with the sharks has never sounded like so much fun!


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