Beyond School Names VentureLab their Partner of the Year!

VentureLab was honored to accept Beyond School’s Partner of the Year award from the team at Mission: St. Louis and Beyond School during their MAGICAL Lights On Afterschool event! ✨

The night was a true celebration of afterschool programming. Students and educators were found DJ’ing, making fresh pancakes, and dancing the cha-cha. A special shout-out goes to student Henry for pitching his business product, and to make the night truly magical, the attendees enjoyed a magician!

This recognition speaks volumes about the depth of the relationship VentureLab and Beyond School have built. We’ve accomplished much together, logging many hours of training and professional development, learning and laughing along the way. The Beyond School staff has opened their doors for site visits and community nights, allowing VentureLab to truly understand and support their dedicated educators.

History of Our Partnership

The partnership between VentureLab and Mission St. Louis began in 2020, using online resources to hold their first student pitch contest. It was an immediate success!

They continued integrating youth entrepreneurship resources, and in 2023, implemented VentureLab’s Idea to Pitch program into their afterschool enrichment time at multiple school sites, which has culminated in Beyond School’s Annual Pitch Competitions. In 2024 and 2025, this event brought together families, students, and staff to celebrate students’ growth in entrepreneurial mindsets and skills.

In addition to student programming, VentureLab has provided the Mindset Course for Educators PD Program to Beyond School staff and administrators. To deepen student engagement, VentureLab also provided 13 Engagement Activities as a way to successfully introduce new staff and students to materials. Staff at both of our organizations have co-led activities at the Missouri AfterSchool Networks student summits, held at various locations across Missouri for middle school and high school students. We have also co-presented at the annual Missouri AfterSchool Age Conference (MOSAC). Together, we’ve successfully raised funds to ensure quality programming for St. Louis youth.

As summarized by CAPSA Manager Peter Gioia, our organizations have “proven that collective support is the key to epic student success.”

VentureLab is incredibly thankful for our partnership with Mission: St. Louis’ Beyond School, the award, and everyone who has made this work possible.

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