Introduction to Design Thinking
Within the KITS 7th grade foundational course students learn the basic design thinking process. Students are challenged to apply the process to creatively solve real-world problems within their own immediate communities. Additionally, students will have an opportunity to engage with prototyping technologies like 3D printing and laser cutters.
Student Leadership (8-9th Grade Student Council)
This project-based course is designed for 8-9th grade students with an interest in leadership. Classwork centers on discussion, development, and implementation of crucial aspects of good leadership (teamwork, self-awareness, effective communication, conflict resolution, etc.). Students reflect on their beliefs and opinions about leadership, exchange ideas and perspectives with their peers, and then apply what they learn to a project proposal. Students engage in activities designed to put theory into practice, enabling them to identify their leadership style and recognize the strengths and contributions of others.
Zero to One: Intro To Entrepreneurship
Zero to One is an interactive and engaging course which aims to demystify the world of entrepreneurship by exploring fundamental concepts, skills common to the entrepreneur. Students will embark on a journey to understand how startups grow into businesses that work, how entrepreneurs identify problems and create solutions, and what it takes to go from one customer to many. Through case studies, practical exercises emphasizing design thinking, and interactive discussions, students will develop essential skills such as in problem identification and problem solving, ideation, prototyping, communication, presentation skills. Students also will develop important financial literacy skills in the context of entrepreneurship. Over the arc of this semester-long elective students will research the growth and development of their favorite organizations (for profit and non-profit) and use it as a touchstone to contextualize the concepts they learn about.
Catalyzing Change: Entrepreneurial Thinking
In this course Students continue to develop the entrepreneurial skills and mindset necessary to become effective agents for change within their communities. Exploring change agency through a diverse set of contexts, students hone skills related to ethnographic observation, insight synthesis, problem assessment, solution creation, market research, communication, and responsive design. Through case-based guided workshops and project-based coursework centered on their own initiatives, students gain hands-on experience solving problems and effecting change. Students who want to create sustainable change are encouraged to enroll.
Unconventional Leadership
Students develop leadership skills as well as an understanding of the nature of innovation. Two texts, Peter G. Northouse’s Leadership: Theory and Practice and Joseph C. Rost’s Leadership for the Twenty-First Century , serve as springboards for challenging conventional narratives about leadership. Students are exposed to the nature of leadership through in-class activities ranging from simulations and guest lectures to improvisational comedy workshops, role plays, and public-speaking exercises. In general, this course teaches students to focus more on questions of “How?” and “Why?” rather than on “What?”
Venture Beyond: A Path to Purpose @ HW
This course affirms the notion that every student has a path and purpose. The objective for the course is to disrupt the patterns and routines which shape our traditional notions of success at Harvard-Westlake. This course creates space for students to authentically explore their “Why”. Students will cultivate the ideas and projects they care most about within protected time and with the help of mentors within the HW alumni community. On their journey students will encounter tough choices, real challenges and the failure that often come with entrepreneurial efforts, but they will also cultivate a stronger sense of meaning, purpose, happiness and wisdom.
Harvard-Westlake Works (HW Works) is a private professional community that builds relationships across experience and discipline to provide academic, professional, and extracurricular opportunities to HW students and young alumni.
As an extension of the Kutler Center's mission to foster, promote, and develop interdisciplinary studies and independent research, HW Works empowers our diverse and inclusive community of HW students and young alumni by connecting them to academic, professional, and extracurricular opportunities in a wide variety of fields helping to shape their passions.
HW Inc, a student-run summer entrepreneurship boot camp, is a fast-paced week of collaboration, innovation, and, most importantly, fun! Throughout HW Inc week, you will be empowered to develop their own entrepreneurial toolkit, meet like-minded students, and learn about the endless possibilities of entrepreneurship through the lens of an interactive curriculum. Inc isn’t just for entrepreneurs – skills like public speaking, creative problem-solving, and collaboration are invaluable in any field. Participants will come out with lessons that will stick with them for life