NewE Network: Tomorrow’s Innovators, Leaders and Thinkers

The vision for the Carson City School District states that “our community empowers tomorrow’s Innovators, Leaders and Thinkers.” The District’s use of the phrase “our community” is intentional, as we recognize that educating our children is a collaborative effort and that the prescribed core curriculum is only a part of what students need to know and be able to do. In Carson City, education truly is a collaborative endeavor.

As a specialist hired to support implementation of the Race to the Top Grant, a large part of my work involves developing partnership models (aka community partnerships) that embody the vision, goals and objectives of the District’s strategic plan, Empower Carson City 2017. Model partnerships actively engage students in learning beyond the classroom, enhance what is learned in the core academic subjects, and help get kids prepared for life beyond school. CCSD’s commitment to partnership acknowledges that career education is best supported by experts from the world of work.

Carson City School District’s collaboration with the New Entrepreneur Network (NewE) exemplifies these ideas. Beginning in the Fall of 2014, NewE Executive Director Jeff Glass, with the backing of the Hop & Mae Adams Foundation, began developing an educational program that is one part business basics, one part networking and one part journey in self-discovery, all framed around the central concept of entrepreneurship. In the 14-week program, students not only learn how to come up with an idea for a business, the fundamentals of starting a business and networking skills, but also develop their own personal identity as a critical thinker and problem solver – in other words, they learn to think like an entrepreneur.

On May 15, 2015, 27 Carson High School students received certificates of completion from the NewE Network, presented by and signed by Mayor Bob Crowell. And what does earning a NewE certificate represent? It means you know the difference between an LLC and a sole proprietorship, and a C-Corp vs. an S-Corp. It means you understand the many paths an entrepreneur can take. It means you identify problems and determine potential solutions. It means you have learned the basic principles of customer service and how to apply them. It means you know how to interact one-on-one with adults, how to introduce yourself, strike up a conversation, and listen with genuine interest. It means you’ve learned a lot of what it takes to be successful in the workplace.

A major component of the NewE program is the participation of representatives of many of our area’s businesses. NewE graduates have established a personal network that includes many of Carson City’s private and public sector leaders. This network includes Adele’s, AMP Social LLC, CarsonNow.org, The Change Companies, Dunce LLC, Dutch Bros. Coffee, In Plain Sight Marketing, Intero Real Estate, Lima3, Micromanipulator, Resource Concepts, Talintel, and Yogurt Beach. A NewE graduate’s network also includes directors from a number of public agencies , including the Carson City Library, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, and Western Nevada College.

Through the leadership of Jeff Glass and the support of our community partners, earning a NewE certificate means you’ve learned to pay attention to the Four Q’s. It means you have a strong IQ, that you value academic learning and also have the intelligence to think critically and recognize an opportunity. You have a strong EQ, an ability to be authentic and make connections with others on an emotional level. You have a strong PQ in that you understand that success depends on having the will to do the physical day to day work of achieving your goals. Finally, as a NewE grad you have developed a strong RQ. You have established yourself as a dependable, respectable member of our community and carry that reputation with you into the future.

In learning to think like entrepreneurs, NewE graduates have taken critical first steps in redefining themselves and the way they interact with the world.

Allen Gosselin is the Partnership Coordinator for Carson City School District and can be contacted at agosselin@carson.k12.nv.us or by phone at 775-283-1636.

Learn more about the New Entrepreneur Network at NewENetwork.com
CCSD’s strategic plan, Empower Carson City 2017, is available online at http://www.carsoncityschools.com/cms/One.aspx?portalId=801611&pageId=4612509