Our Impact: Mission Spotlight

Prototyping Big Ideas in Industrial Arts

School/Org Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering
Location Greeley, CO
Funding Impact Fund
Year 2023

Teacher Jessi Ruby asks 6th and 7th graders to imagine a product or service, prototype it with simple materials, and build the business behind it.

Teacher Jessi Ruby created an industrial arts class at Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering in Greeley to bring the engineering and design thinking process to life by having students build a business.

Students imagine a product or service, prototype it with simple materials, and learn everything that goes into starting and running a real enterprise. The results speak for themselves: students light up, showcasing their ideas, and walk away knowing their ideas are powerful.

It’s pre-engineering grounded in entrepreneurship, where every prototype is a lesson in possibility.