Entrepreneurial Leadership Program
Entrepreneurial concepts and thinking are a schoolwide focus, and beginning in ninth grade, students may choose to be part of our four-year Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. It is the nation's first four-year, secondary school entrepreneurship program in the country, and courses include:
Entrepreneurial Leadership Courses
- Speech (.5 credit, part of Freshman Year Seminar Class)
- Economics of Business (.5 credit)
- Applied Models of Economics Honors (1 credit)* - Offered in 12th grade
- Elective Courses (must choose 2)
- Business Communication (.5 credit)
- Fabrication and Design Methods (.5 credit)
- Leadership for Entrepreneurs (.5 credit)
- Marketing for Entrepreneurs (.5 credit)
- Managerial Finance (.5 credit)
- Microeconomics (.5 credit)
- Macroeconomics (.5 credit)
All Upper School students may take EL classes as electives; however, a student must complete two hours of EL credits and Applied Models of Economics to graduate with the EL distinction.
Senior Capstone
The program’s four-year course progression culminates in the senior capstone class, Applied Models of Economics. Capstone students work with local entrepreneurs in the first semester to gain real-world experience and then create their own ventures in the second semester. At the end of the year, students compete in a shark-tank-like competition that is judged by a well-known panel of Nashville entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
Entrepreneurial Leadership Faculty

Brad Dennis
Director of Entrepreneurial Leadership
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Monica Laird
Assistant Director of Entrepreneurial Leadership, Assistant US Swimming Coach

Nancy Baker
CAE Coordinator, Assistant to Entrepreneurial Leadership Program

Jonathan Hackett
US Dean of Students, US Baseball

Kate Monfils
US Math, US Managerial Finance, US Girls Soccer

Jennifer Schraeder
US Speech and Debate
Yarbrough Family Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
The Yarbrough Family Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, inside the Sondra Morris and Robert N. Moore, Jr. '52 Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship, features board rooms designed for client meetings and pitches; multiple collaborative learning spaces, where student teams can work together to solve critical questions; office space for future entrepreneurs-in-residence; and a makerspace outfitted with state-of-the-art technology to engineer and produce student prototypes.
BGA to host Ignite Series on Big Data and Navigating Mental Health Concerns
With an eye on mental health issues, Battle Ground Academy will host its spring entrepreneurial event Monday, March 27, at 9:45 a.m. in the school’s Sondra Morris and Robert N. Moore, Jr '52 Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship.
Fostering Entrepreneurship in Education
In today’s ever-changing world, fostering entrepreneurship throughout your child’s education is vital. While an entrepreneurial education builds valuable skills — such as collaboration, data analysis and presentation skills — it also gives students an even more valuable tool for the future: Resilience.