By Joy Matsuda ’27, Jacqueline Kashimoto ’27, Kyla Miyamoto ’27 and Julia Saines ’27
At Punahou, entrepreneurship starts early – and it’s led by students. The Case Accelerator for Student Entrepreneurship empowers students to explore, test, and launch ideas through hands-on, student-led experiences called Innovation Sprints. This year, three different courses were offered to 2nd through 6th grade students enrolled in After School Care: the beloved “Upcycle the Carnival” where students recycle materials to create their own Punahou Carnival tabletop games, “Mix-n-Munch,” a course allowing students to make delicious assortments of snacks to sell to their classmates, and Bead-It!, a new accessories-themed sprint which required students to utilize an assortment of beads to design bracelets, keychains, and necklaces, and of course, their own unique brand. Across each sprint, the goal was the same: to move from idea to impact in just a few short sessions.
In the Innovation Sprints, students were challenged to use the entrepreneurial mindset and consider the “Triple Bottom Line”: how their business benefits people, protects the planet, and maximizes profits. In each sprint, students brainstormed how their snack product would advocate or raise awareness for a cause in the world. Yolanda Lau, Director of the Case Accelerator for Student Entrepreneurship, said, “Entrepreneurship here starts with purpose. Students learn to create with intention and are challenged to think about impact alongside creativity.”
Leading up to the innovation sprints, Academy students met once a cycle to discuss the lesson plan, event schedule, and inventory orders. Through these meetings, two cohorts including freshman, sophomores, and juniors collaborated to create an engaging course. Lau said, “Student-led experiences are where confidence, ownership, and leadership are built. And I think these interactions between Academy and Junior School students are one of those things that make Punahou truly special.” The Bead-It! leadership team included Scarlett Lai ’27, Julia Saines ’27, Kailee Matthews ’29, Chelsea Fujita ’28, and Marlowe Lai ’29. “Leading an innovation spring was a rewarding experience as it gave me the opportunity to share my experiences with younger, passionate students and collaborate with motivated peers.” The Mix-n-Munch Snack Mix sprint was run by Katia Dela Cruz ’28, Megan Ing ’27, Joy Matsuda ’27, Rylan Cooney ’27, Kyla Miyamoto ’27, Kayla Garcia ’27, and Zoe Pang ’27. “Through my own venture, I learned that being an entrepreneur can be overwhelming, however organizing this event helped me gain experience delegating tasks, managing my time, meeting deadlines, and planning ahead of time to be successful”, Joy Matsuda ’27 explains in reflection of the Mix-n-Munch Snack Mix sprint.
The Mix-n-Munch Snack Mix sprint was held on February 17th and February 24th. Academy students gathered to set up the “snack warehouse” – a diverse spread of delicious popular snacks that 2nd graders could experiment with. Excited to create their own unique snack, the 2nd graders attentively listened to a lesson presented by Kayla Garcia ’27 and Joy Matsuda ’27. The lesson explained an introduction to entrepreneurship and the concepts of price, cost, and revenue. Kyla Miyamoto ’27, founder of Farm-to-Mochi, and Joy Matsuda ’27, founder of Sprinkle of Joy, inspired the 2nd graders by explaining how their businesses are built on the Triple Bottom Line. “Although I was the one teaching the students, this experience was actually really educational for me as well,” Kyla Miyamoto noted. “I got to develop my leadership skills and that’s crucial in entrepreneurship.” The students were then led in a worksheet to brainstorm their ideas and budget their expenses in the “snack warehouse”. Following this, students taste tested the different snack mixes to plan for their official product design during the 2nd day of Mix-n-Munch. “I think the snacks are yummier when they are supporting a cause,” said one student. On the second day, the 2nd graders finalized their branding, created their final product, and shared their treats with the class. One parent noted that after the sprint, their child went home, gathered snacks from the kitchen, and began testing out new combinations for their new business.
The Bead-It! sprint was spearheaded by Juniors Julia Saines and Scarlett Lai, best friends and co-founders of Beads&Buds, a bead-to-bracelet business where 100% of their profits are donated to local, non-profit arts programs, like Hawaii Ballet Theater, to support aspiring dancers. A group of 6th graders explored innovative accessory designs using beads while maximizing their profits and ensuring that the loans they take out from the “bank” (aka the tupperware, were paid back in full. Each student was required to build their brand in a span of two classes. This consisted of designing their business’ name, what specific materials they needed and how much each cost, and where they would donate their hypothetical money to; organizations and causes included the Human Society and Marine Biology research. In terms of the design process, the extent of creativity was limitless as students made ocean-themed keychains with a shark tooth, aquamarine and jade good-luck charms, and coral-colored friendship bracelets. On the final day, they held a small “showcase” for each business where each 6th grader answered the big question: what made their business unique? The collaborative atmosphere at this sprint truly embodied where entrepreneurship thrives best: in a room of like-minded individuals with a mutual passion for making a difference.
The children in all of the sprints were enthusiastic about exercising their creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration skills. “When I grow up, I want to run my own business too,” one student from the Upcycle Carnival sprint exclaimed. Noe, a 6th grader from the Bead-It! sprint said that she “never wanted the class to end.” And for many of these students, this wasn’t just a class – it was the first time they saw themselves as entrepreneurs.
Upcycle the Carnival Photos
Mix-n-Munch Photos
Bead-It! Photos
