Parkway School District’s Spark! program assists students in navigating the professional environment. Launched in the fall of 2014, Spark! immerses students in a classroom without teachers where they are free to become entrepreneurs of their own enterprises.

Spark! has developed a learning incubator at the Chesterfield Mall where bright young minds are ready to hatch their ideas and jumpstart their careers.

“We want to engage students in the ever changing world while they are still in high school,” Coordinator of Career and Technical Education Jennifer Stanfill said. Although most students do not begin their careers until after high school or college, it is difficult to find success if they had not received proper instruction. The program’s coordinators believe that students must experience working in the industry  firsthand rather than simply reading a textbook.

Currently, there are 19 Parkway students from all four district high schools. The program is opened to juniors and seniors as a normal high school course. Students apply online in order to be accepted. If students want to participate in the incubator, they must submit a short video to pitch an idea.

“Students are working with patent attorneys, developers, and CEOs, to help them reach their professional goals,”  Stanfill said. “Spark! has pulled in successful entrepreneurs, incubator managers and people from Washington University and St. Louis University to give additional support to our students.”

Local businesses always search for new ideas to contribute to the market, and this program helps to foster their growth. Networking is a key aspect in business and is often useful for those pursuing an individual career pathway. Sydney Smotherson, a Parkway Central High School senior, has learned how networking can impact a business operation.

“When I was 15, I launched myself as a designer by having a fashion show for my spring 2013 collection,” Sydney said. “Since being in the program, the biggest thing I have learned is networking. I made a lot of connections.”

In only its fourth month of operation, Spark! has made significant progress.

“So far, students have been developing prototypes, working on market research, getting interviews, applying for patent licenses, and have been invited on panels for different industries,” said Xanthe Meyer, program director of Spark! “They are learning how to adapt and get in the game early in their careers.”

Two Parkway North seniors in the incubator, Marisa Hacker and Annalise Ruzicka, have seen significant progress with their business since beginning the program. Known as “The Popcorn Girls,” Hacker and Ruzicka have taken buttered popcorn at the movies to a new level with the Popcorn Straw.

“It has holes from the top to the bottom and when butter runs through it, it evenly dispenses flavoring throughout your favorite movie snack,” Ruzicka said. “The Popcorn Straw is the next best thing since microwave popcorn, providing you and all of your friends and family with a ‘butter’ movie experience.”

The idea is simple and attainable, but bringing it to the forefront of the movie theater industry is no easy task.

“Starting a business has been so much work, and I admit there have been times I have wanted to quit what I am doing and give up,” Hacker said. “I have learned the importance of passion and love for driving your business.”

The Spark! program challenges the minds of students but unlike a classroom it also places them into real world situations where receiving a poor letter grade is not the consequence.

“This is not the classroom,” Meyers said. “Some kids have struggled with the unstructured environment and accountability.” Ruzicka said she feels the change has been more beneficial than difficult as it improves business ideals and personal growth.

“Unlike school, we do not spend hours scrambling to make something perfect just for a grade. Rather we work hard to obtain real-life information to apply to the real world,” Ruzicka said. Without grades or exams to distract students from achieving their goals, Spark! gives them the opportunity to discover what interests and passions they possess.

“To me, success looks like students being able to explore their passions and talents while they are still in high school,” Stanfill said. “Spark! is innovative and it focuses on curiosity and creativity.”

“The Popcorn Girls”  say they have been able to learn more about the professional world as well as their own capabilities while in the program.

“I have come to realize that because I love what I am doing, work doesn’t seem like work at all.  I find myself staying up later than planned, researching and planning for Annalise and my business,” Hacker said. The late nights and caffeine-infused mornings may be regretted now, but the participants anticipate a successful future that will  far exceed initial precedent.

“By the end of the year, I plan to have a collection and other branches of my business launched and to generate revenue,” SNS LLC’s owner Sydney said. Similar to Sydney, Hacker and Ruzicka have plans to implement their product in the market as well.

“[Our] goal for the The Popcorn Straw is to be piloting our product in at least one movie theater around the St. Louis area,” Hacker said.

As Spark! continues to expand, its coordinators hope to give more students the opportunity to explore their inner entrepreneur and experience the corporate environment.

The Spark! program allows students to take risks and experienece the professional world. The program is open to all students who are dedicated, creative. The only requirement is an idea and devotion to make it happen.