FAQs

Juniors (sophomores upon availability) 

Yes. The fine or applied arts requirement is also met by completing a full year of this course. 

Business INCubator teacher Hagop Soulakian has been teaching the course since its inception at BHS during the 2013-14 school year. He leads the course, along with a team of mentors and coaches who work directly with the students.

Students will participate in a group ideation and team creation process as part of the curriculum. Teams will be developed after considering many factors, including but not limited to similar business ideas and interests, varied skillsets among participants, and class size.

Students will have team time during class to work. However, many teams may want to meet during free periods, via electronic communication, or after school, to develop their ideas. Simulating the work environment, some employees may “dig deeper” and others may choose to meet the work requirements.

Any absence that extends longer than one week will be handled like any other class that takes place in a lab environment. Counselor/parent will be in consultation with the teacher for an alternative assignment to ensure the student has the opportunity to engage in the curriculum and be adequately assessed.

Students are encouraged to complete the full one-year curriculum. We do recognize that sometimes a group will lose a member. Teams will consult with their teacher and mentor on how to overcome this obstacle.

Yes and No. There will be a required Pitch Week that will serve as the culminating performance task for the course. The optional Pitch Week will be in front of a board of venture capitalists and angel investors. 

The course concludes and students take what they learned to build on other areas of interest. They also have the opportunity to apply for employment with currently existing BHS Business Incubator start ups. In addition, students may choose to enroll in another business elective, or take electives in other academic departments for the following school year. 

The course continues into a second full-year elective. There will also be a summer experience between year one and two.

Because the program has the potential to be a two-year experience, we do not enroll seniors.