The Indian Hill School District celebrates two student-group winners for the second annual “The BIG Pitch” program, bringing a stock market investment opportunity to Indian Hill High School and an expansion for business education to students in grades K-12 in the fall. Students who presented “Student Run Endowment” earned multiple grants to fund a stock investment program and students who presented “B.A.S.E.” (Business Association for Student Education) earned a $3,000 grant to expand business learning opportunities following the school’s “Shark Tank” style competition finale on Monday, April 22. The Indian Hill Foundation awarded a total of $10,000 in grants; additionally, two private donors contributed an additional $13,000 total toward the funding of the project that evening, bringing the total grants awarded to $23,000.
“We are incredibly proud of all of our student-presenters who did an outstanding job; they made the final decision exceptionally difficult for our esteemed panel of judges,” said Indian Hill High School Principal Jeff Damadeo. “We can’t wait to see how these programs, once implemented, impact the learning of our students.”
Indian Hill High School’s The BIG Pitch presentations began on April 10 with 58 students submitting 18 ideas on how to improve the Indian Hill High School experience. Eighteen students presented a total of five ideas to the judges during the finale. The BIG Pitch award funding is made possible annually through a base grant from the Indian Hill Foundation; a special thank you is offered to the generosity of the Candi Wineland Memorial Fund for underwriting the program costs.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our students to interact with true executives in a professional, competitive arena where they can demonstrate innovation, collaboration, creativity, and deep research,” said Indian Hill CEO/Superintendent Kirk Koennecke. “It is exceptional, and we thank both our judges and our partners – the Indian Hill Foundation and the Candi Wineland Memorial Fund – for making this unparalleled learning opportunity possible.”
“The BIG Pitch is a perfect partner for the Indian Hill Foundation, as our mission is to fund ideas that are innovative and make an impact on the educational experience both inside and outside of the classroom,” said Indian Hill Foundation Executive Director Meredith Ducey. “We are excited to see how the winning teams bring their programs to life.”
Indian Hill High School launched the debut of
The BIG Pitch during the 2022-2023 school year. This year saw an increase in participation.
“Our students are excited about the potential to leave an impact at Indian Hill High School,” said Indian Hill High School Assistant Principal Danielle Lintz, who managed the program and mentored student presenters with Dr. Kim Given. “We expect this program to continue to grow and expand each year, and we look forward to hearing directly from our students how we can shape the most outstanding experience for them possible – it is limitless.”
“This event provides an important place at the decision-making table for our students, and this is the way we do business,” said Koennecke. “Our students were at the center of the development of our five-year strategic plan, the #IHPromise, and they remain central to each decision we make. When students have a voice in K-12 education, they lead organizations to exactly where they need to be focused. We are extremely proud of all our participants. This is leadership development at its finest.”
Winning students for Student Run Endowment included Caroline Brown and Sophia Thompson; winning students for B.A.S.E. included Jonah Bonomo, JC Chen, Alyssa Kerr, and Jim Liebel. A special thank you to finale judges, including: Bob Castellini, managing director – investments, Wells Fargo Advisors; Bentley Dalton, Indian Hill Class of 2023, Auburn University student; Jason Harbert, co-founder and chief technology officer, Flowspace; Nader Masadeh, president and CEO, Buffalo Wings & Rings; Lindsay Pullins, director and head of revenue strategy, Roku; Bob Scallan, partner, Pathway Guidance LLC; Robin Sheakley, president, Sibcy Cline, Inc.; and Mick Davis, CFO & treasurer, Indian Hill School District.
Photo caption: Indian Hill High School students earned grants supporting two winning programs in the second annual “The BIG Pitch” event, following the school’s “Shark Tank” style competition finale on Monday, April 22.