Shark Tank is a popular TV show that gives entrepreneurs the chance to present a product or brand to millionaire investors (also known as “sharks”) in order to receive financial help and marketing advice. Business Management and Finance (BMF) teacher Chris Terry had the unique idea to bring this to his classroom. His students were given the opportunity to create a product throughout the semester to present to Terry and student resource officer Daron Ehly. Through this project, students were able to develop planning skills, and learn about product development, financing, and time management.

“They had the entire semester. It was split up into 3 parts. The first month or so was part of the brainstorming and getting all their materials together. Pretty much all of October, they would build it and work on it. In November, they would polish and present their product,” Chris Terry said.

A few of the products created by students included pizza scissors, a “C500 Riddell Helmet” that measured the impact of a hit on the football field, a phone dock, “Honey Sweets” (healthy energy bars), and an LED flashlight. The students were given 10 minutes to present their product, and the sharks were allowed to ask questions. After learning about each product, the sharks would make offers to the students to help them financially.

“I watch the show a lot, and I always thought it was pretty cool,” Chris Terry said.

Sophomore Tanner Clayton created butterfly wings that attach to a baseball, causing it to fly farther.

“The hardest part was getting the 3D printer to work, ” said Clayton (10).

Terry explained what made a project successful and worth investing in.

“Really it comes down to how well the student sold the product. A big part of it was how a student presented themselves and how they pulled the sharks and investors in. If they did well on that, it came down to the quality of the products,” Chris Terry said.

While it was a project and a grade, Terry made the project enjoyable for his students.

“My favorite part was presenting and getting to use the 3D printer,” said Tanner Clayton (10). “I’m glad I got to learn how to use it.”

Terry put a lot of time into planning this project. He had a clear understanding of his overall goal, and made it more about the reasoning behind the project rather than the grade.

“I always try to promote a safe environment in here for creativity,” said Terry, “and I thought it would be a good idea to tie in something that’s relevant to our kids right now and what’s on tv and bring it into the classroom.”