From Class to Program

What Real Entrepreneurship Looks Like in a School

Author

Stephen Carter
April 27, 2026

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Entrepreneurship Certificate graduation ceremony at Grand Rapids Christian Schools, and as I sat there listening to the stories and watching nine seniors receive their certificates, a clear realization settled in:

This is what it looks like when entrepreneurship moves beyond a class and becomes a program.

Nine graduating seniors earned the Certificate of Entrepreneurship, representing over six semesters of work in the program. These students did not just take a course or participate in a project. They walked through a full sequence of formation, beginning with the foundations of entrepreneurship and continuing through customer discovery, marketing, leadership, sales and revenue, and the building of real ventures.

And now, they are ready to go.

What makes this especially powerful is how the program has been built over time. Under the leadership of Kevin Van Harn, Grand Rapids Christian Schools did not try to do everything at once. They started with a simple, manageable idea: a vending machine business. From there, they expanded into additional ventures like the Logo Loft, a spiritwear business, Gone Boarding with surfboards and skateboards, and adventure-based programming.

Now, the result is a program with over 70 students enrolled for next year, multiple student-run businesses operating at once, and a clear pathway for students to move from introduction to mastery. This is no longer experimental: it is embedded. It is one thing to launch a class. It is another thing to build a business. But what we are seeing more and more in schools adopting the Seed Tree program is something deeper: a full-fledged entrepreneurship program that creates continuity, progression, and real outcomes for students.

The Certificate of Entrepreneurship is a reflection of that. Yes, it goes on the transcript, but more importantly, it represents something that students will carry with them long after graduation. It reflects mastery in the entrepreneurial mindset, including growth mindset, grit, redefining failure, and opportunity seeking. 

One year ago, we celebrated a similar milestone at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, where one-third of the graduating class earned the Certificate of Entrepreneurship. Now, we are seeing other schools reach that same level of maturity, where programs are not just launching, but sustaining and producing lasting impact.

If you are thinking about entrepreneurship in your school, the goal is not just to create a class or even a single business. The goal is to build a program that can grow over time, develop students in a meaningful way, and ultimately create outcomes like this.

These nine students are stepping into their next chapter with a mindset and a set of experiences that will shape how they approach opportunities for the rest of their lives.

And this is just the beginning.

Standing out as a Christian school while staying true to your values is more challenging than ever. At Seed Tree Group, we help schools implement a proven entrepreneurship program that empowers students to take ownership of their education, equipping them with life-ready skills and creating a distinguished school with engaged students, inspired parents, and energized donors.

❝

Imagine your culture infused with growth mindset, grit, redefining failure, and opportunity seeking. Imagine your team acting and thinking like entrepreneurs.

Stephen Carter