Entrepreneurs have long been innovating the world with their ideas. From small business owners to the stars of “Shark Tank”, entrepreneurs can be found in numerous different settings in life, and now, Southeast students have the opportunity to become one themselves.

Mrs. Gehr, a Business teacher, has recently been awarded the opportunity to pilot an Entrepreneurship class at Southeast, potentially this coming semester. The course entails the basics of becoming an entrepreneur and creating a detailed business plan ready to send you off onto college or into the real world.

Southeast is currently the only school in the district piloting this class. Before, the only way to learn about entrepreneurship was through Gehr’s class, Business Management, where students spend about nine weeks learning about entrepreneurship and nine weeks on business management. But after a recent curriculum revision from the Nebraska Department of Education, Entrepreneurship will have its own course.

The Nebraska Department of Education identifies courses that they recommend, which are taught in different classes and in their most recent revision, they said there would be a Business Management and Entrepreneurship class. Southeast has always put those two classes together, but now students will have the opportunity to take them separately.

“I never felt like I did [Entrepreneurship and Business Management classes] justice, so I proposed to our Curriculum Specialist, Julie Hippen, that we should see if we can make Entrepreneurship come here and bring in students who aren’t typically Business students and want to learn more about it,” Gehr said.

The goal of this course is to help students understand the role of entrepreneurial businesses in the United States. The course strives to cater to students who aren’t necessarily business-oriented, but students that have a talent or a skill and want to start their own business.

“They might have a special talent: art, culinary experience or digital design where they want to offer their service for pay,” Gehr said. “So this would be a class to help them think about putting together a business plan.”

As you sign up for classes next year, consider stepping out of your comfort-zone and learning about what it takes to become an entrepreneur.