Upper School | Collegiate School

Economic Literacy in the Upper School

Advanced Placement Micro and Macroeconomics courses are taught in the Upper School, and large numbers of students enroll every year in this thriving program. Another opportunity is the student-run the Darr Davis Investment Club, which allocates gains to student clubs based on a grant allocation process. The Cochrane Summer Economics Institute is open to rising seniors in the Greater Richmond area. This summer program offers students the opportunity to connect with local companies in an immersive way and business leaders from around the area as guest speakers.

Cochrane Summer Economics Institute

The Cochrane Summer Economic Institute (CSEI) is a community outreach program administered by Collegiate School and funded by the Powell Economic Education Foundation. To apply to CSEI, review the application timeline, student application process and teacher recommendation process.

The intensive four-week program, open to all rising high school seniors in the footprint of the Capital Region Collaborative, challenges students to apply learnings in economics and entrepreneurship. Students complete two challenges over the course of the four weeks:

The Design Thinking Challenge asks teams of CSEI participants to solve challenges proposed by partner companies. Review past projects on the CSEI website.

The City Indicator Challenge leverages resources from the Richmond Indicators Project, an effort to measure progress on economic and social goals related to the Richmond region’s priorities. The CSEI students work in teams of four to make fictional planning decisions designed to attract millennials to one of seven assigned cities: Austin, Texas; Hartford, Connecticut; Jacksonville, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Richmond, Virginia.

At the end of the program, Design Challenge teams deliver actionable insights and solutions to partner companies in a final pitch presentation of their concepts and share the story of their CSEI experience with community members, as well as an infographic that reflects CSEI participants' collective efforts to attract more millennials to each city in the City Indicator Challenge.

CSEI provides valuable skills necessary for a career in today’s commercial markets by exposing students to topics and projects in business disciplines including marketing, finance, product design, distribution, management, leadership, research and analytical competence. The program also focuses on developing skills essential for students to thrive in today’s world including collaboration, communication across difference, leadership development, independence and public speaking.

International Emerging Leaders: Asia Seminar

Seniors in this spring semester initiative of the International Emerging Leaders program engage in a comprehensive collaboration with our partner school in Yangzhou, China. The course focuses on examining the economic ties between the U.S. and China, but also explores current political, cultural, and ethical issues arising from an in-depth study of this topic through discussion, film, and a series of guest speakers. Technology supports an on-going collaboration with students in China. Collegiate students prepare for a 10-day trip to China in late March designed to challenge them with the nuance and complexity of experiencing China first hand. In addition, a delegation from our partner school in Yangzhou spends 10 days on Collegiate’s campus during this semester, and students in this seminar use design thinking to create meaningful education programs for our whole campus during their visit.

Darr-Davis Investment Advisory Board

The Darr-Davis Endowment Fund was established by Mr. and Mrs. J.Harwood Cochrane in memory of Susan Darr and Catherine Davis. The fund serves as an endowment with the investments directed by students, and the income used to fund student activities through a student-led grant allocation process. The goals of the Darr-Davis Investment Advisory Board are to increase the amount of money in the Darr-Davis fund and fairly distribute the money between non-athletic and non-social clubs.

Responsible Citizenship