Albert Lea High School is starting a brand new, year-long curriculum in the coming school year. Many students heard about the CEO, or Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities Program, at the assembly in the auditorium on Jan. 20 during Flex. The presentation included testimony from Austin High School advisers and CEO students. Austin has successfully participated in the CEO program for years. This Program is a good choice for any students interested in a class that takes place outside of the classroom and strays away from the traditional lectures and notes.
Alums, who are students within the program, will learn with a mentor from the community who has their own experiences in business and entrepreneurship. Students should be ready to get up early for the class and spend extra time throughout their program on their passion project.
Whether or not students get accepted into the program will not depend on their grades so all students are encouraged to consider the program.
“I cannot think of a chance like this I went through as a student,” said Albert Lea High School Principal Sean Gaston.
According to the Albert Lea High School 2026-2027 Course Catalog, “CEO is unlike any other class. Participants spend each day in area businesses, absorbing essential skills from local business owners and community leaders. Each student is guided through the creation of two real businesses, with the support of a local mentor. These aren’t classroom exercises – they are real products, real services being exchanged for real money. It shows young people the opportunities that exist to them and challenges them to own their work, innovate creative solutions, and think big – because they have the support of the community behind them.”
The program is only available to seniors next year so the registration process will be judged based on a student’s character and not how they perform within the classroom. The registration process is competitive, ALHS will submit 12-16 students who will be selected from a board of business owners in the community. The selection committee will nominate students to the rest of the board based on a student’s application form without knowing any of the students names. This part of the process is done as a blind application.
“It’s a pretty cool honor to be picked, because it means that someone on that board has nominated you,” Gaston said. “You got picked because a business owner sees something in you.”
The CEO program application forms will be sent to any students who reach out to their counselors to join the program for next school year. The form is similar to a scholarship cover letter with a brief essay as a way to introduce and promote yourself to the board. Students should include their goals and accomplishments.
The grading system for the CEO curriculum will be different from the average high school class and will add up to two high school elective credits. Each alum will be assigned a mentor from the community to help them navigate the business world and learn to make connections. Students will take their first steps into a world of networking and will learn through the experience they receive in a hands-on, professional setting. Advisors of the program won’t grade students based on any test scores but rather how much the student has grown. They will be observing skills such as problem solving, motivation, teamwork and the ability to ask questions.
“It isn’t based on like ‘oh your business made money’,” said Gaston. “It’s really based upon how you’ve grown as someone who has the skill needed to be a successful business owner.”
Each year the program will host an annual trade show to act as a showing of the year-long course. The trade show takes place during the spring where the course would be coming to a close and students can display their entrepreneurial skills by marketing their products. The alums can keep any profit they receive from their personal business and the revenue they made from the annual trade show.
At the end of the curriculum alums will have experienced running a successful business. This opens many different pathways including continuing with their business, going to college to continue their education and advance the skills they learned or getting a job in any career field, including healthcare, culinary, service and many others and using the many skills they obtained within the course in their new jobs.
“You’re going to learn how to talk to people, you’re going to learn how to connect with people, you’re going to learn how to network,” said Gaston. “You’re going to learn how sell ideas to people and build relationships.”
If you have any questions, reach out to the counselors for more information. Additional information can be found in the ALHS course catalog on the Albert Lea High School website.
