Case Study: L.O.C.A.L. S.T.E.W. U. grows from rural school to urban farm school with SCORE Mentors Berks and Schuylkill Cty

L.O.C.A.L. S.T.E.W. U. - Customer Case Study

L.O.C.A.L. S.T.E.W. U., founded by Chris and Resi Connell, is an alternative private high school that uses a farm-based classroom model to reengage teens who struggle with traditional desk-based learning. As the school prepared to move from rural Virginia to Richmond, it faced the challenge of finding a new location and building a viable urban operation with very limited capital. SCORE Mentors Berks and Schuylkill Cty provided mentoring support to help guide the transition.

SCORE Mentors Berks and Schuylkill Cty, through mentor Glen Sink, helped the Connells understand the business landscape in their new city and create a focused plan for marketing, partnerships, products, and income. With this guidance, L.O.C.A.L. S.T.E.W. U. secured both interim and long-term locations and successfully transformed its rural program into an urban farm school, later known as Astrolabe Academy.

L.O.C.A.L. S.T.E.W. U.

Resi Connell

Owner