On 2 April, Grade 10 students at SUIS Gubei participated in the first annual Grizzly Den business competition, in which 52 teams presented their own business proposals. Teachers and students from other year groups were each given a “grizzly buck” to invest in the team they felt had the best business idea. Throughout the event, Grade 10 students answered questions from these potential investors about why their product was worthy of investment.
The Grizzly Den event, through project-based learning, aided students in understanding the practicalities of founding a business. This event marked the conclusion of their final semester in integrated humanities, during which they acquired knowledge on entrepreneurship topics, including product design, market research, and the financing of businesses.
4月2日，协和古北十年级学生参加了首届“Grizzly Den”商业竞赛，此次竞赛吸引了52支队伍提交各具特色的商业提案。值得一提的是，来自校内其他年级的师生们均获得一枚“grizzly buck”，作为资本用于投资他们认为最具商业前景的团队。在竞赛过程中，十年级的同学们充分展示了其产品的商业价值和投资潜力，为潜在投资者们详细解答了关于其产品为何值得投资的疑问。
经过基于项目的学习模式，“Grizzly Den”活动圆满落幕，为学生提供了深入了解企业创办的实用经验。此次活动不仅象征着他们综合人文科学课程的最后一个学期的圆满结束，更是他们在此期间系统学习创业主题知识的重要里程碑。在这一过程中，学生们全面掌握了产品设计、市场研究以及企业融资等关键领域的理论与实践知识。
The varied business ideas presented at the event showcased the creativity of Gubei’s students. Some business proposals focused on real products and services that students might be able to create, such as blind boxes filled with products created by students and a company that would enable hotels to rent out unused rooms as music practice spaces. Others were more audacious and forward-thinking in scope, such as an AI assistant that is more user-friendly for the elderly and a chewable alternative to toothpaste.
活动现场所展示的商业创意充分彰显了协和古北学生的创新才华。部分商业提案着眼于开发具有市场潜力的真实产品和服务，如盲盒项目，其中装满学生自制的产品，以及一家专注于将酒店空置房间改造为音乐练习空间的公司。此外，还有更加大胆且前瞻的提案，如研发一款专为老年人设计的友好型AI助手，以及创新的可咀嚼牙膏替代品。这些提案不仅体现了学生的创造力和商业思维，也展示了他们对于市场需求的敏锐洞察和对于未来发展趋势的深入思考。
Reflecting on the success of the event, Humanities Coordinator Mr Morgenstein stated, “Our program aims not only to prepare students to excel in IB courses such as geography, history, and economics, but also to help them develop and apply real-life skills, such as those needed to run a business. When we developed the idea for this business competition, I was confident our students would come up with some great ideas, but frankly, I was blown away by their creativity and the professionalism they put into their projects.”
对于此次活动的圆满成功，人文协调官Morgenstein先生进行了如下总结：“我们的项目，不仅着眼于学生在IB课程，诸如地理、历史和经济等学科的卓越表现，更致力于培养他们在实际生活中应用技能的能力，如企业管理等。在提出商业竞赛的构想时，我虽相信我们的学生能够提出具有启发性的见解，然而，他们的创造力与对项目展现出的专业素养，却远超出了我的预期。”
The Chinese Humanities teacher, Ms Xu, commented, “The Grade 10 students presented a range of innovative and captivating business concepts that significantly expanded my comprehension of entrepreneurship. Among these were intriguing ideas like toothpaste pills and bitterness blockers. Furthermore, their business proposals demonstrated extensive market research, with one group envisioning a pioneering game that gathers feedback from not only students, but also game streamers.”
中国人文课教师徐老师对十年级学生的商业概念提出了高度评价：“这些创新且吸引人的想法极大地丰富了其对创业领域的认知。其中，牙膏药丸和苦味阻滞剂等独特构思展现了学生们的创造力。此外，学生们在商业提案中展现了深入的市场研究能力，如一个小组提出的开创性游戏概念，不仅广泛收集了学生的反馈，还积极征求了游戏主播的意见。这些举措体现了学生们对市场需求和用户体验的高度重视。”
Many students drew inspiration from Grade 12 student Eugénie Gratton, who had actually created her own line of eco-friendly water bottles earlier in the school year.
“Our business initiative began when my team and I noticed the large amount of waste generated from disposable cups in our school cafeteria. Determined to make a difference, we aimed to provide our fellow students with a stylish yet sustainable alternative that they could use when purchasing drinks in the cafeteria – Eco club personalized reusable water bottles. Beyond merely reducing plastic usage, our goal was to instill a sense of responsibility and choice. To incentivize participation, we offered discounts at the cafeteria and distributed Eco club badges. Through simple yet effective communication channels like morning announcements and posters, we spread the word. The response was incredible – within a couple of days, we sold more than 100 bottles, a testament to the power of small, collective actions in making a positive impact on the environment.”
众多学生纷纷从十二年级学生Eugénie Gratton身上汲取灵感，她在本学年伊始便成功打造了自己的环保水瓶系列。
“经过深入的市场调研与问题分析，我们团队发现学校食堂一次性杯子的使用量巨大，造成了严重的资源浪费与环境污染。针对这一问题，我们制定了全面的商业计划，旨在为学生群体提供一种既时尚又环保的替代方案。我们的核心产品——环保俱乐部个性化可重复使用水瓶，不仅能够有效减少塑料消耗，更有助于培养学生的环保意识和自主选择权。为鼓励更多的学生参与这一环保行动，我们在食堂推出了相应的优惠政策，并为每位参与者颁发生态俱乐部徽章，以此表彰他们的环保贡献。为了更有效地传播这一环保理念，我们采用了简单而高效的沟通方式，如晨间公告和海报等，确保信息能够迅速覆盖整个校园。经过一段时间的推广，我们取得了令人振奋的成果：短短几天，成功售出了100多个水瓶。这一成果充分证明了，通过小规模的集体行动，我们有能力对环境产生积极且深远的影响。”
Overall, Grizzly Den was a major success, in which students were able to develop real-life skills that they will hopefully continue to build on in the future.
总的来说，“Grizzly Den”项目取得了巨大的成功，协和古北的学生们通过参与此项目不仅掌握了实际生活中的技能，而且对未来继续提升和完善自身能力充满期待。
Author: Kyra Chan and Thika Pradeep