tvc.dsj.org | January 22, 2019
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
17
Students Pitch Strong Business Ideas at Inaugural Lancer Tank
From alleviating the housing crisis
to conserving water, Saint Francis
students want to help the world run
better. In the Entrepreneurship and
Design Think for Justice classes,
taught by Mr. Conley and Father Steve
Kim, students honed in on an exist-
ing problem and devised a solution
to fi x it. Their eff orts culminated at
the inaugural Lancer Tank, modeled
after the television show, where stu-
dents pitched their business plans to
a panel of judges.
“Lancer Tan k was t he perfect
opportunity for students to demon-
strate what they learned and create
something with a social impact,” said
Father Steve Kim.
For sen ior Mat t hew Huo, t he
beauty of participating in Lancer
Ta n k was k nowi ng t hat h is a nd
classmates’ ideas have the potential
to change the lives of people in their
communities. The idea his team pre-
sented to the judges was BuzzPlate,
a piece of wearable technology that
monitors decreases in heart rate
and electrodermal activity and ad-
ministers a sharp vibration to keep
Students at Saint Francis High School participate in Lancer Talk. Modeled after the television
show, students pitch business plans to a panel of judges, in an attempt to make a social
impact and solve problems around the world.
users alert. The judges awarded his
team the Innovative Award for being
forward-thinking and presenting a
creative solution.
“I was so proud of my team,” he
said. “Everyone was all in, and it
showed in the results, affi rming all
the hard work we put into the com-
pany.”
Many teens have good ideas, but
they don’t always have the confi dence
CATHOLIC EDUCATION INSPIRES
community .
or know-how to bring their idea to
life, Matthew said, so entrepreneur-
ial-minded classes and activities are
valuable additions to the curriculum.
At Saint Francis, students not only
have the opportunity to learn the ex-
pertise needed to be future successful
entrepreneurs, but they do so through
the lens of Holy Cross teaching.
“It is critical that these leaders
of the future are grounded in Holy
Saint Francis
High School
Cross values, their ideas and in-
spirations infused with social con-
sciousness and responsibility,” said
Principal Katie Teekell ’00.
To encourage more creative work
from students, Saint Francis High
School has created a new fund, the
SFHS Innovation Fund, to accelerate
the development of more programs
like Lancer Tank and classes such
as Entrepreneurship and Desig n
Thinking for Justice. Saint Francis is
grateful to the anonymous alumni
angel investors who have generously
off ered a $20,000 matching gift chal-
lenge to double every dollar contrib-
uted to this fund.
For more information
regarding Catholic Schools
in the Diocese of San Jose,
please visit
www.dsj.org/schools.
Fr. Tony &
Fr. Steve
are at it
again...
Jan. 27-29, 2019
learn more about us
TAKE A TOUR
Now scheduling
Kindergarten-8th grade
This time we’re walking from Saint Francis High School to
Mission Dolores in San Francisco
to support our mission:
to shape the future
by educating the hearts and minds
of our students to serve the world.
Private Tours!
St. Christopher School
Kindergarten through 8th Grade
Faith-filled Leaders - Academic Excellence - Joyful Community
www.stchris.us • (408) 723-7223
2278 Booksin Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125
Partner with us: sfhs.com/hope