"Awesome event…really well done. This is the type of REAL WORLD experiences you simply can’t teach in a classroom. Keep up the good work." -Andrew Wank

On President’s day, 46 students arrived to school voluntarily. They were split into 9 teams - each team assigned a Rockhurst alumni/parent mentor. The students were also surprised to discover that they would also be competing against a mentor led teacher team!

After a presentation by Adam Arredondo from CEED regarding how Kansas City is experiencing a vibrant inflection point, students were given their entrepreneurial challenge. Aaron Deacon from KC Digital Drive challenged students to:

How would you help patients in Kansas City find accessible and affordable medications and specialists based on their individualized insurance plans and neighborhood options?

After less than 4 hours of intense research and prototyping, the student teams pitched their products and winner was announced. The energy of the day was palpable. The student engagement was obvious. And the results were astounding.

The teacher team was feeling pretty good about their solution until the first student group went on stage. A freshman walked to the front of the stage, held up his phone, and said, “Quality Care, every patient’s solution.”

“Oh my God,” a teacher said under his breath, “they actually built an entire app!”

Given the right environment, it is amazing what high school students can accomplish. As the Rockhurst High School STEAM initiative strives to futher connect students to the world they will be entering, it’s crucial that we leveragee the existing Rockhurst High School network. The Alumni and Parent mentors were crucial to the student success.

The mentor of the winning team, which built an application they called “Clear”, was Adam Wank who works for KC RoboAdvisor BLOOOM. After the event, he reflected:

“Awesome event…really well done. This is the type of REAL WORLD experiences you simply can’t teach in a classroom. Keep up the good work.”