Shark Bait: Eighth Graders Pitch to Panel of “Sharks”
Legnini’s entrepreneurial focus challenged students to think about this: the many hours spent on research and development would be devalued without a strong, creative, and well-informed pitch.
“Pitching their social networks is a really great way for them to practice presentation skills – not only to their peers, but also to adults,” says Legnini, drawing from his own experience in pitching his company over 60 times to various investors.
Legnini points out to his students that an essential skill all great presenters possess is the ability to speak off-the-cuff. He assures his class there are going to be questions they didn’t anticipate.
The “sharks” ask those questions to force students to think quickly and critically. “It’s important to feel that deer-in-the-headlights pressure and to think about what methods you can use to get past that to deliver a good answer,” explains Legnini. The classroom is the perfect setting for students to take those risks, stumble their way through it, and learn from that experience.
“I tell all my students they may not leave my classroom as entrepreneurs or expert coders, but they are going to leave with problem solving and critical thinking skills,” says Legnini.
So, could a group of Shipley entrepreneurs appear on a future episode of Shark Tank? “Some students were so involved in this project, they showed initiative to take it one step further,” explains Legnini. “Together we are working on how to write an actual business plan and thinking about how to take this to the next step.”
Fingers crossed! The real success lies within the students’ deeply rooted learning experience. Whatever business or personal endeavors Sean’s student pursue, the critical thinking, problem solving, and presentation skills they’ve gained as a result of this project proves to be most valuable investment.
Lee Stuart ’71 has dedicated her life and career to improving the lives of others by providing access to food, housing, education, and a caring community. From the Bronx, NY, to Duluth, MN—she has lived Shipley’s motto, Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing. “I’ve been in some really challenging environments and situations, and it’s a good guidepost,” she says. Learn more about Shipley Changemaker, Lee Stuart ’71.
As founder and Chief Executive Officer of Keiki Capital, Dan Lichtenberg ’99 marries his technical and financial expertise with his passion for developing creative solutions to global problems—global warming and climate change, food and water insecurity, income and wealth inequality—and transforming data into actionable intelligence.
Shipley senior Emma Lo has been recognized as a 2021 National YoungArts Foundation Winner in Classical Music (Piano). Through a rigorous audition process, she joins over 600of the most accomplished young visual, literary, and performing artists from across the country.
West Collection: Recent Acquisitions of Diverse Voices This exhibition focuses on nine visual artists who through their work are commenting on world issues ranging from the climate crisis, immigration and migration, and exposing human rights violations.
The Shipley School Performing Arts Department will present Beautiful Trouble to audiences everywhere on Friday, November 20 at 7:30 pm via the School's YouTube channel. The production replaces the traditional Fall Play and is a performance protest piece comprised of scenes, monologues, poetry, short films, and more. Beautiful Trouble hopes to raise awareness for issues that matter to students.
A Shipley Young Alumni Award-winner and one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Generation, Sarah Megan Thomas ’97 has just released her third film, A Call to Spy. “I hope my films not only entertain and enlighten but also have a long-term impact, prompting viewers to ask themselves what they might have done in a particular situation and what they can do to help make this world a better place,” she says. Learn more about this Shipley Changemaker.
The Shipley School, The Episcopal Academy, and The Haverford are proud to present a three-part virtual series focused on building and sustaining healthy multiracial communities at our schools, and exploring how families of all racial backgrounds can discuss race in order to contribute to a healthy and inclusive community.
Upper School English teacher John Hornung believes that literature can make a positive impact in the world by helping people develop empathy for others. He teamed up with Hope in a Box, an organization dedicated to making rural classrooms more LGBTQ+ friendly, sharing a study guide for the Laramie Project, which he teaches in his Modern American Drama English elective.
Shipley’s eighth graders participated in a murder mystery whodunnit role play as part of their mystery genre study in English class. Teachers Lila Corgan and Kirsten Small hope the activity deepens students’ understanding of some of the literary devices that define the mystery genre in a fun, social way. The activity wrapped up a two-week study of the Mystery genre, which also included a virtual talk-back with the cast of the Hedgegrow Theater’s Tales from Poe film production.
Shipley seventh grader Natalie Tran ’26 placed 25th in a national Science Olympiad Competition on Epidemiology in September. She is the Middle School team’s first ever national medalist.
Shipley's Middle School science teaching team wanted to find meaningful ways to make their curriculum more inclusive, highlighting diversity in a discipline that has historically been dominated by white men. Their goals? To show the positive impact that diversity can have on the scientific process and to allow all students to view themselves represented in science.
What do Shipley’s COVID-19 protocols have to do with John Locke’s late-17th century essay Two Treatises on Government? Enough for Shipley’s Modern European History students to engage in scholarly work linking the two. In addition to teaching students the skills they need to study history, “Creating space for students to process the complexities of this time,” commented Addis, “is, I believe, an important role for me in the classroom this year.”
The Middle School history curriculum is built around the idea that other people matter and that every story matters. Just as history is a collection of stories, so are peoples’ lives. Seventh grade history teachers Mark Stetina and Brandon Rotondo wanted students to explore this idea in their own lives, recognizing how their personal and family stories impact their identity, strengths, and character. The result was a wonderful example of how Shipley's Positive Education framework informs academic work in many disciplines.
For Lower School SEED teacher Betsy Leschinsky, helping young students learn how to recognize and manage emotions is a key part of what she teaches. This can be particularly challenging in the time of COVID-19. Her “Behind My Mask” unit was designed to help students uncover the feelings that people might not see when we wear masks, as well as some of the characteristics and interests that define us.
Since arriving at The Shipley School as a sophomore, Niam Shah ’21, a Math Peer Tutor and member of the Technology Student Association and DECA, has earned numerous regional and national awards, started two businesses, and worked as an intern at a tech startup. Most recently, he served as Teaching Assistant for Shipley’s Middle School Math Circle, a five-week summer enrichment program led by Josh Berberian, Upper School mathematics teacher and Coordinator of Educational Research.
This summer, all Middle School students read Jerry Craft’s graphic novel, New Kid. The book features seventh grader Jordan, one of the few kids of color in his new, elite private school. “The shared read will provide Middle School Advisors a unique opportunity to discuss race-related issues with our students,” says Lila Corgan, an English Teacher and the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Coordinator in Middle School.
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.