Every community's success depends on a civil society of private citizens working together to achieve the community's goals and address its challenges. A strong civil society is sustained by local leadership and mutual trust, qualities often developed in the business sphere where collaboration and accountability are part of daily practice. The BOSS Program is a platform to bring those business and community leaders into the classroom and turn it into a conference room, cultivating the next generation of workers, entrepreneurs, citizens, and community leaders.

The BOSS Program achieves this through a sequence of four project-based units in which students develop branding and marketing strategies, launch a franchise, and create original business concepts. Students work collaboratively to solve complex problems and deliver tangible outcomes, building critical skills through challenging, real-world experiences. At the heart of the program is the BOSS Network—a coalition of business owners, accountants, lawyers, and other professionals who engage directly with students as mentors, clients, and role-playing participants. These interactions help students navigate authentic workplace scenarios, learn to collaborate with adults as peers, and become savvy consumers of professional services.

As a sophomore-year CTE Launchpad, BOSS accelerates students’ career development through purposeful self-discovery and foundational skill-building. By meeting the introductory-level requirements for most CTE pathways, the program gives students a head start, allowing them to transition seamlessly into advanced technical courses of their choice. This preparation ensures that participants enter junior and senior year CTE programs with clarity, confidence, and direction. BOSS transforms students from uncertain adolescents into focused, career-ready young professionals who maximize every opportunity in their subsequent training and beyond.