Flexing Entrepreneurship

At La Jolla Country Day School, students are encouraged to be self-starters, explore their current interests and open their minds to new experiences. Students in Upper School have an opportunity to do all of that during Flex Time. Where a club might casually meet during lunch, Flex Time, or Flex, is held during designated periods built into the seven-day rotating schedule. The goal is to encourage engagement in a thoughtful, intellectual exploration of themes and practices that do not fit within the traditional curriculum. 

 

Flex supports student-directed learning. Any community member may create activities they wish to pursue, guided by student or adult mentors from campus and beyond who are passionate experts. 

 

With more than 30 options to choose from, students can join the school newspaper, mock trial, debate, yearbook, or costume designing — or explore coding, ethics, economics, community service, mental health, global issues, even magic tricks.

“By letting students take ownership of the process,” explains Assistant Head of Upper School for Student Life and Faculty Enrichment Rachel Clouser, Ed.D., “they expand their learning in a way that encompasses their interests and introduces them to activities they may not have been exposed to until college, or maybe not at all. This is our fifth year offering Flex Time, and it’s amazing to see the program thrive.”

Torrey Startup encourages students to explore entrepreneurship that positively impacts the world and improves the lives of others. Started in 2020, with the mentorship of the Design and Innovation program, Torrey Startup supports and guides students in all aspects of building a successful business, including developing and growing ideas; researching and designing prototypes/applications; manufacturing products; applying for patents, trademarks and copyrights; branding and marketing; pitching ideas and requesting funds from the Torrey Explorer’s Fund (TEF), an LJCDS venture capital fund.

In a semester, members of Torrey Startup developed more than 10 innovation-based ideas, applied for two provisional patents, manufactured a product, prototyped another product, and earned over $7,000 from TEF to support projects. They’ve also gathered a team of professional panelist advisors, including manufacturers, supply distributors, entrepreneurs and patent/trademark lawyers to aid projects and help students navigate the business world.