Spotlight on Hononegah's Career and Technical Education Department

The Feb. 18 Hononegah Board of Education meeting shone a spotlight on the school's Career and Technical Education department.

Three students were featured who have recently launched their own business through an entrepreneurial course at Hononegah Community High School.

Maddox Franklin, Joey Tuzinkiewicz, and Zakary Vaughn each wore shirts with the words "The Digital Reset” on the front and “Don't Miss Real Life” on the back of their shirts.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher Denise Warner said, "Today we are here to celebrate innovation and real-world problem solving."

"Jason Brunke, our CTE Business Incubator teacher, and his entrepreneur students took on the challenge of excessive screen time for their course project for their entrepreneur class."

"Their work showcases creativity, critical thinking, and hands-on problem solving. These skills directly tie to our face learning and help to prepare them for college and to be career ready."

Principal Chad Dougherty said, “You might notice that this savvy group of students, The Digital Reset, has already activated their entrepreneurial spirit. Check by your nameplates, and you will find their business cards.”

Dougherty reflected back to the beginning of the CTE class. “This is year 12 of the Incubator EDU program here at Hononegah High School."

"At the beginning of this, Mr. Brunke and I met every single week. We talked about the finances and the numerous meetings that were necessary with community partners, parents, and students in preparation for all of the activities.”

Dougherty added, "Today, we hardly need to connect at all. In the event that anyone would step in to fill these enormous shoes to teach this class, which is very different, it is absolutely unlike anything else."

"It creates an atmosphere where kids that really excel have a probability of success at whatever the next level because of the experience, where they are engaged, active learners.”

Dougherty added, “I want to thank Mr. Brunke for 12 years of leadership navigating 30-40 community partners who are coaches who literally come in and teach to complement his lessons. They are mentors who work with specific groups of kids to guide them through the process. It is no small feat.”

Dougherty told of a time in 2013-14 when Mr. Brunke learned about a course in Barrington and visited with a community partner, Chuck Gilbert. He recalled, "The next year, eight schools in the nation were running that course, and we were one of them."

Today, "hundreds and hundreds of schools in the United States and even across the world are running varying versions of incubators... That is the journey that got us here.”

Mr. Brunke said,

We have had a ton of support from our district. We have done some rotating. We have new members in coaching and mentoring roles, as well as on the board. The other piece of this is that we have a board that comes in and hears these pitches in the first week of February.

Community banks have provided financial support for these pitches: a couple hundred bucks in seed money to try to get their idea, which they have been researching and vetting during the first semester, off the ground.

In the second semester, students are trying to learn with that and to make it happen.

The whole idea is to go into business with the support of people and a little bit of money, so they can feel free to fail and learn.

It has been tremendous. Our cohort has completed a total of 10 projects with two classes. I think it is the most competitive we have ever had.

This class is about action. The business curriculum before this was about textbooks.

This is about getting out. I always tell the students this is the hardest part, you are trying to fulfill these orders that you said you were going to create. Now you are actually responding to customers. That is a pretty big leap for students.

This group is an excellent example of creating action and how to make something happen.

I am glad that these students have been recognized by local news sources. They came back on Monday and said, “Guess what we did this weekend?" That is music to this teacher's ears.

They are making something happen while essentially making more work for themselves, and taking those steps. I applaud them for that.

They are attacking a very viable problem that they are trying to solve in a very creative way. This is honorable in itself.

Dougherty added, “I want to put it in perspective. We have had at least two groups present on the national level from Mr. Brunke's classroom. Five groups are selected from the nation, and then a mentor. Some are still running the businesses they started in the classroom. For you to be in that category in the entire class to be one of the best ever is a pretty exceptional statement from Mr. Brunke.”

The Digital Reset pitch to the school board

Joey Tuzinkiewicz explained:

“The problem that we are trying to solve is screen time. We have an educational and monitoring limiting screen time website.

We are trying to market it toward parents and well as schools. Right now we are building credibility. We are asking the parents to use it, this is more a trial run at this time.

We also have Willowbrook Middle School where one of the classes is implementing screen time curriculum into one of the classes, and also a breakfast coming up with all of the Superintendents in the area to share our business idea.”

Maddox Franklin said, “We are just trying to get into middle schools and we want to learn how screen time is affecting them and how they can manage it in the future. We are doing this for both students and teachers through little assignments, once a week, just trying to get out of their thinking caps.

Zakary Vaughn added, “We also have a social media platform. We have tons of parents that have done online interviews and got 38 responses from all over the country. Most of the responses said that middle schools would have the biggest impact on their students. We are trying to get them young so when they get into high school they already have that implemented.”

Questions and extra comments

Dougherty asked The Digital Reset team, “What inspired you to do this?”

The team replied, "In the beginning of class we came across technology. You see kids on their phones and wondering why they aren't paying attention. We are hoping to get those kids off of their phones and actually being in the moment.”

Warner said, "This is a great way to be really good about using your business partners to reach out and to thank them. We have so many activities. They really add to our department and make learning better.”

Brunke talked about alumni who have come back or are now running businesses, such as Nick Sommer who is now a mentor.

Board member Bob Geddeis said, "It isn't adults leading the kids. These kids are leading by example, this is what I like to see."

Students and Mr. Brunke each received certificates for embracing an entrepreneurial mindset to proceed to a solution to an issue facing society today.