“The Best Thing We Ever Did”
TEACHER TESTIMONIAL:
A business teacher shares how Spirit Box brought relevance, real-world learning, and sustainable funding to DECA and FBLA programs.
Relevance That Students Feel
Business teacher Pat Hinkle describes her Spirit Box experience in one word: relevance.
It connected marketing, accounting, merchandising, promotion, leadership, and data analysis into one real business—not a simulation. Students weren’t learning about business. They were running one.
BUILT FOR CTE & CAREER PATHWAYS
Designed for DECA, FBLA, and Business Programs
Management & Leadership
Marketing
Accounting
Entrepreneurship
DECA competitive events
FBLA competitive events
Students worked in teams, owned roles, made decisions, and analyzed real results — all aligned to CTE standards.
Curriculum Comes to life.
Spirit Box sales data became part of daily instruction at Bellevue West High School.
Accounting students analyzed reports.
Marketing students tracked promotions.
Leadership students reviewed performance and made adjustments.
This wasn’t extra work — it was the lesson.
STUDENT-RUN FROM DAY ONE
Students Didn’t Help Run It—They Owned It
Pat launched Spirit Box through her Management & Leadership class at Bellevue West High School and treated it like a real business from day one. She used the Spirit Box curriculum as a starting point, then stepped back and let students take the lead.
Student-led Actions:
Formed teams and defined roles
Selected products and set pricing
Managed inventory and restocking
Analyzed sales data
Planned promotions and marketing
“They freelanced with their thinking. I let them go.”
That ownership carried into the launch itself. This wasn’t just a machine installed in a hallway—it was a real business opening.
Their Spirit Box became The Bird Box, fully branded for their high school.
FUNDING
Funded Through Perkins Grants:
No Out-of-Pocket Startup
By aligning Spirit Box to career-readiness goals and CTE outcomes, the program at Bellevue West launched without relying on traditional fundraisers or short-term sales drives.
Skills Students Carry Forward
Students used Spirit Box experience to:
Earn internships
Compete at state & national conferences
Write award-winning FBLA projects
Train future student leaders
Years later, former students still claimed ownership of the business they helped launch.
THE FULL STORY
A business teacher’s firsthand experience with Spirit Box.
Pat Hinkle shares her Spirit Box story from Bellevue West High School.
Ready to bring Spirit Box to your school?
If you want relevant instruction, real student leadership, and a sustainable funding model—Spirit Box delivers all three.