Students Design Solutions with Compassion at SHS Pitch Night

Like Scarsdale High School’s very own Shark Tank but with a meaningful civic twist, students, teachers, parents, and friends gathered in the SHS auditorium on the evening of Wednesday, April 22, to hear 18 product and concept pitches. More than 55 STEM students from four sections of the AT Entrepreneurship class presented their ideas, each rooted not only in innovation and sound business practices, but also in a shared mission, to support individuals with disabilities and improve the broader community.

The students’ creativity and dedication were evident throughout the evening, both in their polished, enthusiastic presentations and in the interactive demonstrations that followed in the lobby. It was an impressive, successful, and genuinely uplifting event. SHS STEAM teachers Brian McDonald and Tabitha Sasso kicked off the evening and set the stage for the presentations.

McDonald had this to say about the night: “In our ninth year of doing this, I’m still surprised by what students bring to the table. They only have five minutes to share a years-long project, that could easily take another year or two to fully realize. Even so, I always enjoy seeing just how much progress they make in such a short time.

The goal of the course, and the broader program, is to give students the confidence, agency, and empathy to go into the world and focus on things that genuinely make a difference in people’s lives, especially for those who need it most. Once our students graduate, they go on to a wide range of careers. But our hope is that this experience exposes them to perspectives and problems they may not have otherwise encountered.

This course means many different things for individual students. For some, we hope when they see someone with disabilities, they no longer see someone as “other,” but as a person who is more like them, but has to adapt creatively to a world that isn't inclusively designed for them. Some students enter the program thinking engineering isn’t for them, or unsure if they’re capable of improving someone else’s life. Through hard work and creativity, they begin to realize that meaningful change starts small, and scales. And that they can be part of it.

And other students leave with the confidence to put something into the world even if it isn’t perfect. They come to understand that the process isn’t about perfection, but about learning from each iteration and using those insights to make something better.

Since the program began, students have created over 100 projects aimed at improving our community. More importantly, we hope we’ve played a small part in helping each student become a more empathetic and confident changemaker.”

The range of ideas presented was both wide-ranging and thoughtful. Projects included tools to support elementary reading comprehension (Engravinator), adaptive wheelchair designs for flag football (Flag Fit), and devices for retrieving balls and playing lawn games (Reach Play and Parity Play). Students also developed ergonomic grips for those with hand arthritis (TrueGrip), leadership certification programs for student-athletes (Aspace), and sustainable fashion initiatives focused on upcycling and recycling (Cut & Construct and Circulate). Other concepts included smart recycling systems (Walden) and a database connecting local volunteer opportunities with community members (Case Connect).|

Several projects focused on supporting individuals on the autism spectrum, including story preparation tools (StoryPrep) and resources to help autistic athletes build relationships with coaches (Vof). Additional innovations included accessible video game controllers for those with motor disabilities (Gridless), educational board games that promote cultural awareness (Culture Connect), assistive furniture designed to help users transition from sitting to standing (Fit to Stand), modular play surfaces made from recycled materials (Terra Tiles), and adaptive cooking tools for the visually impaired (Clear Cook).

SHS senior Ian Rozens of the Walden team had this to say about the evening: “The class AT entrepreneurship allowed us to learn about engineering, business and presentational skills that enabled us to produce a product we are very proud of. Mr. McDonald and Mrs. Sasso were extremely encouraging and they provided us with insight that has prepared us for future entrepreneurial endeavors.”

The evening concluded with demonstrations in the lobby, where attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with the students and explore their work in greater detail. It was a truly feel-good night that highlighted not only ingenuity and technical skill, but also empathy and purpose.