Young innovators pass the Dragons’ test

Some Kelowna students have gone into the Dragons Den — and come out smiling.

The team behind Operation Take Two, an innovative social enterprise at Rutland Senior Secondary, was elated to pass the test Thursday night when they appeared on CBC’s Dragons’ Den.

“This is a collaborative effort amongst a number of student innovators,” said Hugh Alexander, Principal at Rutland Senior Secondary. “We teach students to be contributors to a global society, and we are really proud of this team for not only building an innovative project, but for getting
this backing and ensuring it will be here for other students to contribute to the effort.”

The Operation Take Two team went into the Dragons’ Den seeking $30,000 dollars for 25 per cent of their profits. They succeeded in getting a $30,000 deal from the Dragons and a matching $30,000 donation from GoodSpark Desjardins.

“Our plan for the investment is to get more equipment for our workspace and multiply our impacts by using our profits to help youth in other communities start their own Take Two workspaces,” said Ashley Ciardullo, Grade 9 student at Rutland Senior Secondary. “This project is something that will continue to engage generations of students here at RSS, who will continue to innovate with new products.”

Started two years ago by a small group of students at Rutland Senior Secondary, Operation Take Two transformed a shipping container sponsored by Big Steel Box into a fully-functioning plastic recycling workspace that lets students create unique recycled products for sale. While
reducing waste, the project is a community hub for education.

You can find out more at www.operationtaketwo.com