Sharon and Jacob (z”l) Benus Social Entrepreneurship Program

At the heart of our Lower School curriculum, Social Entrepreneurship comes to life through the Changemakers program, where students are empowered to identify challenges and find creative solutions to make a difference in their communities.

Lower School STEM Day

During STEM Day, students across all grade levels explore how to recognize and address problems, understanding the connection between identifying issues and developing solutions. Through hands-on activities, they learn to take initiative and see themselves as active changemakers who can create a positive impact on the world around them. 

• Gurim - Kindergarten: Students read Solution for Cold Feet, brainstorming solutions for cold weather and ways to combat boredom on a chilly day.
• 1st Grade: After reading Crossings, students used building blocks to design bridges, helping animals cross busy roads.
• 2nd Grade: Inspired by Unselfish Kids, students explored ways to help animals, the environment, and people in their community.
• 3rd Grade: Students read A Passion for Recycling, and discussed tools to enhance recycling and brainstormed innovative solutions to encourage recycling. 
• 4th Grade: After reading Porky the Litter Eater, students designed new ways to prevent littering, creating prototypes and blueprints for improved trash cans and recycling bins.
• 5th Grade: Students watched Rockville Tackles Deer Population and collaborated on solutions to help animals thrive in urban environments.

Changemaker Units

Each grade focuses on at least one unit or activity designed to build skills for changemaking. These units are meant to inspire creative thinking and foster leadership qualities in our students. Examples include:

• 2nd Grade: Students complete a Changemakers unit, where they research a famous changemaker and present creatively on what makes that person influential. They also identify a community issue, devise a solution, and pitch their ideas in a Shark Tank-style activity.
• 5th Grade: In Judaic Studies, students engage in a unit on Climate and Tu Bish-vat, exploring how they can contribute to climate solutions and act as changemakers to protect the environment. 

Parents/Alumni Involvement

We believe in connecting our students with real-world changemakers. The Lower School regularly invites parents and alumni who are making a positive impact to share their stories with students. By seeing firsthand the work of changemakers in our own community, students gain inspiration and insight into how they can contribute to meaningful change. to speak to students where their work is aligned with the curriculum. 

• 4th Grade: Student participated in a virtual conversation with alum Max Levitt ’07, founder of Levelling the Playing Field, a nonprofit organization that donates sports equipment to underserved youth. Max shared how his work aligns with the values of Tikkun Olam/repairing the world and how his role as a changemaker has shaped his life and career. 

At the Middle School level, Social Entrepreneurship is a powerful tool that encourages students to make a positive impact in the world while building critical skills in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Through hands-on experiences and collaborative projects, students  explore innovative solutions to societal challenges, learning to use their creativity and skills to create meaningful change.

Innovation Minimester

A signature program of the CESJDS Middle School, Innovation Minimester is a week-long experience that fosters creative thinking and real-world problem-solving. During this immersive program, students engage in passion projects and explore them through the design process. This program amplifies our commitment to Tikkun Olam/repairing the world, as students are challenged to think about how they can apply their skills to address global and local issues.

Students have the opportunity to learn more about the High School’s Social Entrepreneurship program and hear from the High School team that won the Shark Tank competition, gaining valuable insight into how they can build upon their own ideas as they continue their journal as changemakers.

Middle School STEM Days

During Middle School STEM Days, students tackle challenges that blend Social Entrepreneurship with engineering principles. One of the key projects involves a scenario where students discuss how a bridge could benefit a community in need. Working in teams, they use their engineering skills to design and build a bridge with provided materials. Teams then compete to see which bridge can support the most weight. This hands-on project encourages students to think critically about how engineering and social change intersect, all while fostering creativity and problem-solving skills. 

Social Entrepreneurship Elective

Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, CESJDS will offer a new Social Entrepreneurship elective for 7th and 8th grade students. The semester-long course offers students the opportunity to make a real change in the community, living our School’s value of Tikkun Olam/repairing the world, while exploring the key concepts behind design and production. In this course, students will research real-world problems, brainstorm innovative solutions, and use the engineering design process to create prototypes that address those challenges. By combining their passion for making a difference with the technical skills they are learning, students will gain a deeper understanding of how they can become changemakers in their communities and beyond.
 

At the High School level, CESJDS amplifies its commitment to Tikkun Olam/repairing the world through an advanced, hands-on Social Entrepreneurship program that challenges students to tackle real-world problems, develop entrepreneurial skills, and lead initiatives that can transform their communities and beyond. This program is designed to provide students with the tools, mentorship, and opportunities they need to be leaders of change in the world. 

Sharon and Jacob (z”l) Benus Social Entrepreneurship Program

Continuing CESJDS’ long tradition of educational innovation, this first-of-its-kind program applies the start-up mentality of Silicon Valley to some of society’s most pressing issues. By combining critical thinking and hands-on problem-solving, students learn to think like entrepreneurs, transforming creative ideas into solutions that make a real-world impact. Throughout the program, students develop the entrepreneurial mindset, toolset, and skillset, including design thinking, business modeling, customer interviewing, the LEAN Startup methodology, prototyping, and pitching.

At the heart of the program, we integrate Jewish values, texts, and philosophical reflections to explore ethical considerations and highlight inspiring Jewish models of entrepreneurship and social innovation. The program includes:

• Two-day Social Entrepreneurship Boot Camp: High School students experience the process of launching a new social venture from the ground up in just two days. Working in small teams, students identify a local issue, develop a solution with a focus on social impact, and create a product or service that demonstrates how business can “make money while doing good.” 
• Shark-Tank Event: Guided by adult mentors, teams from the boot camp continue refining their ideas for the “Shark Tank” event, where they present their ventures to a panel of judges. The winning team is awarded $1,000 in seed money to further develop their venture.

Social Entrepreneurship Elective

Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, CESJDS will offer a new Social Entrepreneurship elective for 10th and 11th grade students. In this semester-long course, students are introduced to the key concepts of entrepreneurship, including opportunity recognition, market research, business planning, and impact measurement, while focusing on how these elements can be harnessed to create positive social change. Students also have the opportunity to explore the world of social entrepreneurship and how business principles can be applied to solve social, environmental, and community challenges.

Through real-world case studies, guest speakers, hands-on projects, and field trips, students gain a deeper understanding of how innovative business ideas can address pressing global and local issues. They also engage in the development of their own social enterprises, applying creative problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking to address a social need or opportunity they care about. The course concludes with a Shark Tank event where students present their startup enterprises to their peers and teachers in the high school; the winning team will receive a stipend as seed money for their venture.