TAVARES, Fla. – A business program at Tavares High School is teaching real-world skills to students of all intellectual abilities.

One class in the school’s Promotional Enterprise Program, INCubatoredu, encourages students to create their own businesses and pitch them “Shark Tank”-style. The students compete against others at Tavares and Eustis High School. 

“It’s a really amazing experience to have them integrated together,” said Nikki Sauerbrey, who teaches the program. “I love to see when my other students are helpful and they work together and they actually teach each other things.”

Shanna Staffe, a 20-year-old student with an intellectual disability, and her teammate won first place at the INCubatoredu contest. “I was excited,” she said.

Staffe’s Couture on Demand business concept would create custom apparel from designs people upload.