Catholic Charities Boston Teen Center, Boston Public Schools Celebrate Summer of Learning and Entrepreneurship

When students who spent this summer at Catholic Charities Boston’s Teen Center return to school, they’ll have impressive answers when asked what they did during break.

From developing apps to walking in a fashion show to creating a cupcake business, Teen Center students explored entrepreneurship, creativity, and culture thanks to Boston Public Schools’ Fifth Quarter Summer Learning Program.

The students’ work was celebrated and displayed during a showcase event at the Teen Center on Thursday, Aug. 6, attended by family, friends, representatives from Boston Public Schools, local elected officials, and Catholic Charities Boston staff.

Over the course of five weeks, each grade level undertook an entrepreneurial project. Third graders became fashion designers, creating Cabo Verde-inspired shirts for their fellow students. Fourth and fifth graders became bakers. And middle school students became app developers.

Osasuyi Omere, who is starting eighth grade this upcoming school year, explained that while she loves math, she understands that most kids don’t share that same feeling.

“They find it’s either uninteresting or not useful,” explained Omere. “Which is why I created the app Osacate. It solves this problem by making math more fun for kids.”

The student bakers were assisted by Boston chef Chris Faison, who appeared in Season 24 of Hell’s Kitchen, a reality television cooking competition.

“I was happy and honored to be part of this,” said Faison, who serves as director of culinary arts for New England Culinary Arts Training. “One thing about me is I believe food and education and love all go hand in hand.”

Melody Smith, who is starting fifth grade at David A. Ellis Elementary School in Roxbury, shared that she and her fellow students learned a lot while creating World Cup-inspired cupcakes.

“We learned how to make cupcakes, we learned design, and we also used math because of the different measuring cups and spoons we used for the recipes,” she said. “We had a lot of fun.”

Those cupcakes, including a Cabo Verde-themed cupcake, a s’mores cupcake, and a coconut-and-pineapple-flavored cupcake, were part of the dessert offerings at the showcase. The event also featured a student fashion show and dance performance.

“Every summer I am reminded of just how powerful it is when schools, families, and community partners come together to create meaningful opportunities for our students,” said Linda Cruz, the site coordinator for the Summer Learning Program at the Teen Center. “These students became entrepreneurs, they became designers, they became innovators, they became problem solvers, they strengthened their self-advocacy skills, and perhaps most importantly, they discovered that their ideas matter.”