Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/510699
28 A t a discussion with a small group of Latin School parents in the winter of 2014, Head of School Randall Dunn spoke about the qualities that will be critical to students as they go out into today's fast-changing world. "Teaching a child to be ambitious, to be a problem solver, a critical thinker, a leader, someone who understands the world and wants to make it better, is just as important as teaching them history or science," Dunn said, following remarks by invited speaker Marc Landsberg, founder of the social media marketing firm SocialDeviant and a passionate entrepreneur. "But these are qualities and skills that can be challenging to teach in a classroom setting." Dunn went on to explain that exploring how this type of learning can be integrated throughout Latin's curriculum is something the school is focusing on as it moves forward on the educational excellence priority set forth in its current strategic plan. It is a type of learning being considered by forward-thinking educational institutions around the country, whether they call it developing the entrepreneurial mindset, design thinking, a maker culture or something else. At Latin, these qualities and skills are integral to the new computer science program. (See story on page 24.) ey also recently have been stressed in a number of courses, including an upper school economics class that challenges teams of students, working closely with SocialDeviant, to develop a successful social media campaign, and a Project Week experience in which students worked with respected venture capitalists to evaluate real-life entrepreneurial ideas and business plans. While there are certainly some new initiatives with this focus, the many Latin alumni who have gone on to be leading innovators would argue that the key characteristics of the so-called entrepreneurial mindset have long been fostered at this school. In the following pages, Stacy Igel '95, Charlie Tribbett '02 and Danielle Weisberg '04 share their stories of taking the plunge to build businesses from the ground up. e impact of their Latin experience cannot be minimized. ey credit Latin for giving them a strong academic foundation, work ethic, critical thinking skills and the ability to self-advocate, as well as the hands-on opportunities that have been so important to their success. Most importantly, these alumni say, Latin provided the tools and fostered the confidence in them to take risks, think creatively and choose their own paths in pursuit of their passions. Latin's Daring Entrepreneurs