Somerset Celebration of Entrepreneurship - 2020

In 2017, the College was looking for a way to communicate the importance of an education in entrepreneurship and problem solving to parents and students. As a result, the Somerset Celebration of Entrepreneurship was born.

Over the past four years the festival has grown rapidly, showing us that it was the right decision to embrace entrepreneurship as a key pillar of a Somerset education. Teaching entrepreneurship does not override the option to study traditional subjects like Mathematics, Science, English and Humanities but rather seeks to highlight that even doctors, lawyers and other professionals now have greater scope to be entrepreneurial.. Entrepreneurship is about new ways of thinking, and embracing innovation, creativity, collaboration and communication as the pillars of successful and fulfilling career in the future. Ultimately it is about best preparing our students to achieve their personal best in a global world.

Highlights of the 2020 Somerset Celebration of Entrepreneurship Festival include:

• Our Year 6 students selling their homemade products at the Kidpreneur Precinct.
• Our Year 9 students operating market stalls selling food and drink to satisfy the needs of the hungry crowd. Thank you to McGrath Real Estate for making this initiative possible.
• Our eSports students beating TSS in an online competition. Thanks to Amanda Appel Pty Ltd for supporting the growth of eSports at Somerset.
• The Synergies Creative Minds Exhibition. This exhibition was such a wonderful opportunity for our Senior School students to display their creative talents. Thanks to the AIZER group for their support of Synergies in 2020.
• Our student entrepreneurs Jacob Hall, Harry Hall, Maddi McLaughlin and Daisy Symons sharing their own business journeys at the National Tiles Student Entrepreneur Precinct.
• Our Pre-Prep to Year 2 students learning through a play based entrepreneurial experience. Thank you to Castle Cubby and 3R (Miss Kylie Russell) for making this possible.
• The Cordner Advisory Pitch Competition. The winners of the $3000 first prize were Oliver Leal, Xavier McMullen and Patrick Abdel-Malek who pitched their business Light’em’up.

Thank you to our College staff for their hard work in bringing the Festival together. A special thank you must go to the Celebration of Entrepreneurship Strategy Committee for their guidance, support and hard work in setting the direction of the Festival both now and into the future. This team includes Headmaster Mr Craig Bassingthwaighte, Miss Lisa Thomson, Mr Mark Sowerby, Mrs Amanda Appel, Mrs Jolie Clifford, Miss Megan Ziems, Mrs Sarah Kirby and Mrs Andrea Lewis.

In summary, the benefits of the Somerset Celebration of Entrepreneurship for our students are best described by one of our wonderful Pre-Prep teachers in an email they sent me during the Festival.

The Pre-Preps loved all they saw and made wonderful connections with the Senior School!

It was lovely to see the little people engage with older students. The Senior School students who engaged with the Pre-Prep’s were so patient, polite and friendly; it was an absolute pleasure as I remember many of these Senior School students from Prep! One of the highlights was the rooftop popcorn treat at the Synergies Creative Minds Exhibition. The event was a total and delightful surprise manned by two gentlemen with impeccable manners who ensured everyone was happy and comfortable.

Earlier in the day the Pre-Preps also enjoyed a visit to the Castle Cubby Precinct and took turns at being shopkeepers and customers. We identified numbers and letters, made decisions, practised good manners, patience and some friends even had a picnic with their shopping. The children were engaged and excited to explore a new-hands on learning opportunity and made concrete connections between money and shopping.

Thank you to the Somerset community for embracing the Celebration of Entrepreneurship and the wonderful opportunities it provides for our students.