Our Schools
Gunn High School (Palo Alto, USA)
Created in 2017 at Henry M. Gunn High School by teacher Cristina Florea, the BEAM Program was introduced to students who had an interest in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Subsequently expanding internationally to locations such as Germany, Mexico, and the Netherlands, the BEAM curriculum aims to have students create their very own start-up businesses, solving the issues that affect their daily lives. Many BEAM projects, such as Project Oyster, have been continued in the real world, showing how the program can be applied in real life.
Hayden Chong, former BEAM student
Los Altos High School (Los Altos, USA)
The BEAM Program was introduced to Los Altos High School in 2022. In addition to mastering the BEAM curriculum, students have collaborated on exciting projects with other BEAM schools, both domestic and international. We’ve also partnered with local companies to provide summer internships. We look forward to continue expanding our reach and fostering learning opportunities for students.
Authors: Jennifer Cruden, LAHS BEAM President, and Toni Smith, LAHS BEAM Advisor/Mathematics/CTE Teacher
Englisches Institut (Heidelberg, Germany)
Since 2017, the English Institute in Heidelberg has been home to the BEAM program. The school was the first German BEAM school. Now in its 7th iteration, BEAM has seen over 100 students pass through its program, with several of them going on to start their own ventures. We have a dedicated team of three BEAM teachers who collaborate closely with Gunn High School in Palo Alto and Los Altos High School. A wonderful BEAM project about 'Near Normal Man' has become an integral part of our history curriculum since 2018.
Author: Steffen Haschler, EI BEAM teacher and Head of BEAM Europe
Hoelderlin Gymnasium (Heidelberg, Germany)
Since 2023, our students in grade 1 could take part in the BEAM program. Economic education has a long tradition at the Hoelderlin-Gymnasium and in addition to the advanced economics course, our students can deepen their economic skills in the BEAM project at the course level. Thanks to BEAM, our students have, among other things, the opportunity to take advantage of a variety of offers related to founding a start-up company and are enthusiastic young fictional founders.
Authors: Erica Rutherford and Mario Lindenbach, BEAM teachers
Heidelberg College (Heidelberg, Germany)
Heidelberg College has been part of the BEAM programme since September 2023. Since then, the students have worked in teams to develop various business ideas, supported by dedicated speakers from companies in the region and teachers, and in close dialogue with other BEAM schools in Heidelberg.
Author: Ann Kathrin Rinne, BEAM teacher
At Kurpfalz Gymnasium in Schriesheim on the Bergstrasse, Year 1 pupils can take the BEAM seminar course for the first time since 2024. The importance of the new seminar topic at our school is not only due to the current economic significance of the content, but also because the course can be credited towards the Abitur. We would like to further develop the diversity offered as part of BEAM with our participants in order to give them insights into economic work or networking around the founding of start-ups, for example.
Authors: Johannes Walter und Tobias Wiegand; BEAM teachers
Kurpfalz Gymnasium (Schriesheim, Germany)
Integrierte Gesamtschule-Herzogenried, IGMH (Mannheim, Germany)
At the Integrated Comprehensive School Mannheim-Herzogenried (IGMH), not only does the subject of economics have a long history, but networking our students with companies in the region is also very important. BEAM has been an important addition to our school since September 2024, as our students can now also try out their skills as founders. The workshops are particularly noteworthy as they deliberately break away from the school setting and are led by experts from the field.
Sandro Althaus,
CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From 2024, students at Friedrich-List-Schule Mannheim will be able to participate in the BEAM program. Our Wirtschaftsgymnasium offers a sound economic education, which is enhanced by exciting, practical experience through BEAM. In the course level, students have the opportunity to bring their theoretical knowledge of the profile subject 'Economics and Business Administration' to life and to develop their economic skills in a creative way.
The program not only promotes entrepreneurial thinking, but also offers a platform for designing innovations and putting them into practice. In this way, the students are optimally prepared for the future in business - with fun in the practical implementation of their ideas!
Authors: Bibiane Severin und Severin Reich, BEAM teachers
Friedrich-List-Schule (Mannheim, Germany)
Carl-Benz-Gymnasium (Ladenburg, Germany)
Since the expansion of the Beam program in the Rhine-Neckar region in 2024, pupils in Year 1 at Carl-Benz-Gymnasium have also been able to participate and benefit. Our school has already had very good experiences with the implementation of projects by extracurricular educational partners in the region in the upper school seminar course or in the economics subject. Active participation in processes in 'real' companies has opened the eyes of many of our school leavers to the opportunities and diversity of the business world. With the BEAM program, our students are now also deepening their economic skills in the context of founding a start-up and significantly broadening the horizons of study and career orientation at our school.
Thank you very much for this opportunity and for providing the expertise.
Authors: Alexander Dauer und Markus Hertlein, BEAM teachers
