By Maile Dunn ’27
At the peak of school-year excitement, with the end of Punahou Carnival and the approach of Spring break, third, fourth and fifth graders embarked on a journey of entrepreneurship, crafting and post-carnival creativity. The Case Accelerator for Student Entrepreneurship (CASE), directed by Yolanda Lau, worked in tandem with Academy students and Punahou’s After-School Care (ASC) program put on a hands-on experience for younger students. Together, they hosted a three-day innovation sprint in the Kosasa Community’s Inspiration Cafe benefiting the School’s annual food drive.
The initiative, spearheaded by academy students Maile Dunn ’27, Scarlett Lai ’27 and Sydney Chung ’27, aimed to teach younger students the basics of entrepreneurship while demonstrating how it can catalyze beneficial action in the community. And what better way to do this than by centering the sprint around something we all know and love: Punahou Carnival.
From March 4 – 6, students in ASC ideated, formed business plans, crafted prototypes and marketed games inspired by carnival themes. In the introduction presentation, given by Dunn, Chung and Lai, students were told to think of their favorite aspects of Punahou Carnival, whether food, games, rides or prizes. Then, they were to channel that passion into a game that they’d wish to see at Carnival.
On the last day of the sprint, parents, students and faculty would be invited to pay to play, trading in canned goods for scrip. All goods were to be donated to the School’s food drive, which would reap the benefits of the students’ fun-filled workshop.
“Entrepreneurship is most powerful when it serves a meaningful purpose,” Lau explained. “Teaching students to align innovation with social impact – whether through sustainability, inclusivity, upcycling or food security – helps them see that business and problem-solving can be forces for good. These sprints help reinforce the idea that you don’t have to choose between financial success and social responsibility; the best ventures excel at both.”
On the first day of the sprint, the Academy student leaders set things into motion with an introduction to entrepreneurship. Dunn, Chung and Lai explained the “Triple Bottom Line” to students – the three key concepts that CASE urges student entrepreneurs to constantly consider when planning a business, and a fundamental aspect of CASE’s Art of Entrepreneurship class and Impact Incubator – otherwise known as the “3 Ps”: people, planet and profit.
“The Upcycle Carnival Tabletop Games Innovation Sprint – and every Innovation Sprint put on by the Case Accelerator for Student Entrepreneurship – challenges students to think creatively about societal good while developing entrepreneurial problem-solving skills. When we teach the Triple Bottom Line, we teach students that businesses can be a force for good when social impact, environmental responsibility, and economic sustainability are balanced,” Lau said.
Students eventually formed groups of four to six and began creating business plans. The plan required them to come up with a catchy business name, calculate expected revenue, costs and profit, fill out a loan agreement, and consider why customers would be attracted to their booth, with emphasis on the fact that making money is only part of running a business. With the help of student volunteers, such as Kyla Miyamoto ’27 and Jacqueline Kashimoto ’27, they worked together to build a foundation for a successful business. Throughout the sprint, the students were encouraged to adopt the entrepreneurial mindset, which included being comfortable with the uncomfortable, taking careful and calculated risks, allowing your creativity to flood your work, and being a good teammate.
“I use the entrepreneurial mindset in all aspects of my business, especially when thinking about the purpose of what I am trying to accomplish and how I would like to serve my community. A key part of the entrepreneurial mindset is being able to learn from one another and foster new connections, which is useful in any situation,” said Lai, a student entrepreneur.
By the second day of the sprint, students were constructing their games – cutting, stacking and bedazzling – using fully upcycled materials donated from families and staff.
“Sustainability is such an integral aspect of entrepreneurship, CASE, and our School as a whole,” Dunn shared. “By fostering an encouraging, creative and intellectually-stimulating environment, we are actively nurturing unique problem-solving and resourcefulness in students. Being a CASE leader not only allows me to further the spread of environmental awareness through innovation, but it gives me an audience with younger students and a connection to the future leaders of Punahou. The Upcycle Carnival Innovation sprint, in particular, let the sustainable aspect shine through the kids’ creations. In hindsight, it was fascinating what these kids came up with, using some cardboard, tofu containers and glue.”
In the end, games ranged from sporty set-ups (“Shootin’ Hoops”) to enchanted floral fixtures (“The Flower Drop”), and on the day of the mini “Carnival,” the Inspiration Cafe was bustling with eager customers, laughter and quick business transactions. After the culmination of their hard work, students calculated profit using their total costs and total revenue, which they had determined prior to constructing their games.
In addition to this, the CASE student leaders felt it necessary to recognize specific efforts that each group put forth. In the end, a reflection period was coupled with a lively awards ceremony. Students pondered ways that the Innovation Sprint could benefit them in the future, volunteering answers such as having gained improved work ethic, better communication and a sustainable mindset.
Then – the moment of truth: Academy leaders distributed award certificates, recognizing teams in the categories of: best planning, creative flair, ingenious game mechanics, and collaboration. And, of course, the participants couldn’t go home without a treat. Hoping to inspire younger students to think entrepreneurially, student volunteers Audrey Wee ’28 and Tori Takashima ’26 assembled goodie-bags and baked cookies for the participants, repping their own small businesses. As benefactors and students of CASE, they aimed to showcase a real-world example of entrepreneurship to a younger audience.
“CASE has provided students with mentorship and real-world experience to bring their ideas to life. From student-run ventures to community partnerships, we empower young entrepreneurs with the tools to build, iterate and launch impactful projects. The Impact Incubator is one structured program that supports student entrepreneurs at Punahou,” Lau said.
While the Innovation Sprint imparted useful knowledge to the young participants, Academy student leaders also gained something from the experience.
“You have to really think in terms of a third grader. The sprint taught me how you can boil down such broad subjects into terms and activities that are engaging for that age group,” Chung said. “Through the sprint, we hope to give students compacted, real-world experiences on entrepreneurship to inspire them to start their own ventures.”