Interested in starting a new business through The Monarch School’s innovative Life Academy? It will be tough, but the students and staff will make it look easy!

In October, 2007, the Rotary Club of Houston offered to partner with The Monarch School Life Academy to begin a micro enterprise jewelry business. The model is based on work that the Rotary pioneered in the historic East End of Houston. In small warehouse centers, underprivileged women were taught jewelry making skills in the hopes that they would be able to take these skills into their community to make a living for their family. Rotary was curious: could this project serve as a template for career advancement and training in a school focused on students with neurological differences?

Learning skills of self sufficiency and interdependence is the work of The Monarch School’s Life Academy. Here students with neurological challenges ranging from autism and Tourettes to ADD and Hyperactivity disorders, practice life through authentic experiential activities and real work projects. Activities include cooking lunch for 50 students, purchasing office supplies for the school, managing the uniform store, operating a warehouse storage and “garage sale” business, designing and sales of gift baskets for individuals and corporations, and sending thousands of packaged goods to troops deployed all over the world in a coordinated national effort. Students work in their own businesses, and hold internships and entry level positions at companies in retail, photography, food service, foundations, computer technology, grocery, chemical products, pet care, steel and industrial products. The addition of this new enterprise was of great interest to the Monarch School.

The goal of the new jewelry program is to teach the technical, creative, and business skills necessary to run a business in the school. Once these skills are acquired, the Rotary support model anticipates that Monarch School will spin off individual independent businesses that students will be able to operate on their own. Six students were selected for the initial program as potential businesswomen. They have learned jewelry making from a well-known and respected designer, Monica Casar, who has designed pieces for Neiman Marcus as well as many other boutique and retail establishments in Texas and Mexico. Ms. Casar supervised, mentored and inspired the technical training and Monarch staff assisted, working to meet the individual needs and strengths of the students.

After only a few months, the students held a jewelry sale for parents and the community as part of the annual Holiday Life Academy sale. All of the necklaces and many of the bracelets sold out with many going to shoppers who made multiple purchases! The next big event was the Houston Network Conference in downtown Houston, followed by the annual Valentine’s Day sale. Then the students were asked to design and produce a bracelet to commemorate the Ground Breaking of the new campus of The Monarch School. With great enthusiasm and lots of hard work, they produced and distributed over 200 commemorative bracelets. The bracelets were packed with an insert describing the symbolism of each bead to the Monarch level system which documents developmental progress in four core goal areas.

“Dancing with the Stars – Houston”, sponsored by Urban Retreat, was held as a benefit for the school this spring. Thus, a new challenge was presented to design a special necklace and key ring for the event. The necklace, aptly named Dancing with the Butterflies, features butterflies dancing through a myriad of pearl petals floating around the neck. A man’s key ring was also created, like the Monarch bracelet, based on the growth of students through the goals and levels of the school.

The students have come full circle with their connection to the Rotary Club of Houston. The annual Youth Awards program for Rotary will include the students from The Monarch School as they show the products that they have created over the past eight months at the Junior League of Houston. The community can now purchase creative and meaningful pieces to continue to support the development of the jewelry micro enterprise program.

The original goal of the program, to foster independent businesses of the students, will be completed by two of the students as they continue their own businesses over the summer. Other students will continue to support their work and will progress to new work in the coming year.

The jewelry business has proven to be a successful model, both from a financial perspective and for the development and growth of the individual students. The Monarch School, Rotary and Ms. Casar have formed a cohesive team to build newfound skills, well-honed attitudes, and collaborative learning! Thank you to the Rotary and thank you to Ms. Casar!