Programs for High Schools

As an American institution of higher education in Rome, John Cabot University promotes interaction between the international academic community and its surroundings. JCU offers cultural resources and educational activities to Italian high school teachers and their students, free of charge.

Italy Starts Announces Winning Teams

On February 10th, Italy Starts 2025 selected the best final presentations of an entrepreneurial idea to resolve a perceived challenge to the environment. Teams of 4-6 high school students (mentees) worked under the guidance of an undergraduate student (mentor) to solve real business problems or develop business models for their business or social venture idea during the 8-week program. To foster more cohesive teamwork, mentees met online to form their teams two weeks before the program officially began. 

Italy Starts encourages cross-cultural learning through remote and in-person teamwork. Developing the skills necessary to achieve team objectives in an intercultural context are key outcomes of the program. Students learn first-hand the importance of effective communication and collaboration. Teams formulate proposals for solutions to perceived problems regarding the environment and compete for the best idea in an 8-minute presentation. Final presentations are evaluated on the idea and the effectiveness of the illustration of the value proposition, financials, and marketing.

This year, 82 high school students from 8 schools in 6 cities across Italy registered for the program this year. After a 2-week period of Onboarding Session, 61 of these students became Italy Starts 2025 Mentees. They were separated into 10 teams. Each team was guided by one of the 12 Mentors from John Cabot University and one of our many partner universities around the world: The American University in Armenia. All of the 10 teams presented a final project on February 10th. Teams competed for prizes (1st Place: 500 Euro, 2nd Place: 300 Euro, and 3rd Place: 100 Euro) based on the quality of their business or social venture idea and the final presentation. The panel of judges was composed of professional entrepreneurs.

At the Kick-Off Event on November 18th Professor Luigi Nasta Director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship, welcomed all participants to this demanding program with words of encouragement about the challenges students were ready to face. He told students, “Being able to work effectively in a team, especially remotely, and overcome the challenges of presenting a final project are essential skills that will serve you throughout your life”. 

The session for the Final Presentations competition was opened by Gina Marie Spinelli, Executive Coordinator of JCU’s Programs for High Schools who commended all those participants who succeeded in reaching this moment with a viable business proposal.

Angela Balasanyan, Study Abroad Advisor at American University of Armenia, joined the session is support of the impressive work done by the mentors and mentees to complete their projects. Students from the American University of Armenia have continued to contribute to the success of the program in recent editions. It is a pleasure to welcome them and to cultivate this international element of JCU’s Programs for High Schools.  

Congratulations to all those who reached the end of this challenging program and earned 40 hours toward their Work-Related Activities Requirement / Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l’Orientamento (PCTO).

FIRST PRIZE

500 Euro, in the form of gift vouchers, is awarded to Team “Wild Wonders: Collectibles and Adventure”, a startup idea for  educational resources to promote Environmental Awareness. These interactive games and collectible items fosters fun ways to learn, play and protect Nature.

The team was composed of students from Class III B at IIS Luigi Einaudi, Rome and Class IV at Istituto Scuola San Giuseppe al Casaletto, Rome. Their Mentor was from the American University of Armenia.

SECOND PRIZE
 

300 Euro, in the form of gift vouchers, is awarded to Team “Hawaiki Rising Studios”, a startup idea for an online action-adventure game that explores the devastating impacts of climate change on Pacific island communities. The aim of this game is to educate through immersive gameplay and combat. The team also created a website for their project.

The team was composed of students from Class III BE at Liceo Classico Europeo Marco Foscarini, Venice; Class IV at Istituto Scuola San Giuseppe al Casaletto, Rome; and Class V L at Liceo Classico Giosuè Carducci, Milan. Their Mentors were from the American University of Armenia and from John Cabot University.

THIRD PRIZE
 

100 Euro, in the form of gift vouchers, is awarded to Team “Bravo+”, a startup idea that is an App to make it easier for Eco-conscious people to manage their daily tasks while adopting greener habits. Using an integrated AI chatbot and partnerships with sustainable brands, users benefit from suggestions and an award system.

The team was composed of students from Class IV C and IV H at Liceo Classico Statale Giosuè Carducci, Milan; Class III D at Liceo Statale Mazzini, Naples and Liceo Scientifico Statale "M. Curie" di Pinerolo, Torino. Their Mentor was from the American University of Armenia.

 
SPECIAL MENTION

 

Special Mention for Urban Improvement goes to Team “Smart Sort Collective” that developed a startup idea for an innovative waste-management system that utilizes high-resolution LED screen display and sensors to monitor collection bins and reduce overfill and subsequent disarray of urban waste. 

The team was composed of students from Class IIIL and IV F at Liceo Blaise Pascal, Pomezia; Class III and IV at Istituto Scuola San Giuseppe al Casaletto, Rome and from Class III R at IIS Luigi Einaudi, Rome. Their Mentor was from John Cabot University.
 
 
  
SPECIAL MENTIONS were recognized for:

• Urban Improvement: Team “Smart Sort Collective”. 
• New Product Development: Team “Wild Wonders: Collectibles and Adventure”, which was also awarded 1st place prize.
• Responsible Consumption: Team “Bravo+”, which was also awarded 3rd place prize.

  
 
Participating high schools:
 

IIS Blaise Pascal, Pomezia (RM)

IIS Luigi Einaudi, Roma (RM)

Istituto Scuola San Giuseppe al Casaletto, Roma (RM)

Liceo Classico Europeo Marco Foscarini, Venezia (VE)

Liceo Classico Statale “G. Carducci,” Milano (MI)

Liceo Scientifico Statale "M. Curie" di Pinerolo (TO)

Liceo Statale Mazzini, Napoli (NA)

 

Participating Universities:

American University of Armenia

John Cabot University

 

Congratulations to all participants for their work in this challenging program!
 
 

Find out more about all of JCU's Programs for High Schools and Professional Development for Teachers. 

All programs are certifiable for Work-Related Activities Requirement/Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l’Orientamento (PCTO ) and are offered to Italian high schools in English, online, and free of charge.

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Under a Framework Agreement with the Italian Ministry of Instruction, Universities and Research, Regional Office for schools in Latium

This is the suite of programs that JCU offers in English and, free of charge, to the local community of educators. Students can earn PCTO credits by participating successfully in these programs. The logo: the box symbolizes the simple, replicable structure of these programs that allows JCU to continue to offer engaging content to students and teachers. The olive branch symbolizes our host country, Italy, and the growth we strive for together. The JCU logo represents our community, an American liberal arts university in the heart of Rome.

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Consult the description of activities, criteria for participation, and deadlines for JCU's Programs for High Schools for PCTO (Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l'Orientamento, Dlg.107/15,, formerly known as Alternanza Scuola Lavoro (ASL). 

Download our brochure in English or in Italian.

Teachers register their students for one or more programs using this Unique Registration Form. Using this form, teachers can also request to receive our periodic newsletter about the programs and, upon completion of each program, request PCTO certification for their students. How to Use the Unique Registration Form (in Italian).

Impact 

Students and teachers at these schools have been involved in one or more of the Programs for High Schools offered by John Cabot University since 2009. All activities are in English and free of charge. Find your school on the map!

Online activities

The content for the programs for PCTO, when online, is delivered using Google Classrooms, Zoom, or Teams. Students and teachers will need to use an email account that allows them to access this platform.

How to Write a Successful CV and Speak in Public 

This program is offered on Google Classrooms and is certifiable for 8-28 hours for PCTO. All material is asynchronous, not in live streaming.

Both sessions are equivalent. Teachers indicate ONE SESSION for their students when registering them. All activities relevant to the session must be concluded before the deadline for each session. 

SESSION I - 11 November - 27 January
SESSION II - 10 February - 30 March 
 

Teachers register their students for this program using the Unique Registration Form. You will be asked to upload the list of names of your students and the gmail address they will use to participate in the programs in a downloadable Excel template. Tab number 3 of the template provides details for each program.

Italy Reads

JCU’s English language reading and cultural exchange program, Italy Reads, since 2009, provides a variety of activities around a work of American literature. Certifiable for 2-100 hours for PCTO. Read about the activities for PCTO with Italy Reads.

Teachers can register their students for Italy Reads using the Unique Registration Form. You will be asked to upload the list of names of your students and the gmail address they will use to participate in the programs in a downloadable Excel template. Tab number 3 of the template provides details for each program.

For more information write to [email protected].

Italy Writes 

Italy Writes is JCU’s national Creative Writing Contest for high school students (scuola secondaria di secondo grado) whose primary language of instruction is NOT English. Since 2010, this contest has encouraged and recognized excellence in students developing their creative voice in the English language.

Available for certification of up to 10 hours for PCTO. JCU will provide resources to teachers interested in guiding their students in structured preparation for the Italy Writes Contest. Teachers can register their students for PCTO, using the Unique Registration Form, and receive additional resources to use in their in-class writing workshops. 

All students are encouraged to participate in the contest regardless of their interest in earning PCTO certification.

Students can choose one of the following three options:

1. Respond to the question: When does Generative AI expand your voice and when does it become a substitute?
2. Fiction (Narrativa)
3. Non-Fiction (Saggistica)

This year, considering the ongoing discussions of the use of Generative AI in the classroom, we invite participants to share their opinions on this theme by responding to the question

When does Generative AI expand your voice and when does it become a substitute?

We anticipate students using all the tools available to them and are interested in seeing how these tools are used to develop an argument. For this year's contest, students will respond to the above question following the guidelines listed below. All submissions must be presented with annotations of the prompts used and how they were developed. This is an opportunity to express your opinions! We want to hear the voices of the students!

Submissions will be evaluated based on the quality of the argument and the prompts used as well as the degree of critical analysis of the question.

Resources: Student Guide to AI

1 March - Deadline to submit entries using this Contest Submission Form. The award ceremony will be held online late May/early June. Awards will be announced by the Writer in Residence for JCU's Institute for Creative Writing and Literary Translation. For more information write to [email protected].

Italy Pitches

JCU’s Institute for Entrepreneurship offers this national, English-language pitching competition for Italian high-school students - Italy Pitches. Participating students will be introduced to concepts such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), creating shared value (CSV), and impact investing. They will also learn how to construct an advocacy narrative, and how to translate it visually using digital skills. Completely online and certifiable for 30 hours for PCTO. Students must register through their teacher/PCTO Tutor who will use the Unique Registration Form. Deadline to apply: February 3.

Italy Starts

Italy Starts, a Peer-to-Peer Entrepreneurship Mentoring Program in English. University students (Mentors) volunteer to work with Italian High School Students (Mentees) to solve real business problems or develop business models for their business or social venture idea toward improving the Environment. This program is aimed at third and fourth-year students enrolled in Italian high schools. It will be conducted online. Certifiable for 40 hours for PCTO.

Students must apply for selection for this program through their teacher/PCTO Tutor who will use the Unique Registration Form. Deadline to apply: November 4. Selected students will attend two obligatory preparative meetings on November 6 and 13 at 5:00pm (online).

Italy Starts takes place online November 18 - February 10.

Professional Development for Italian High School Teachers

These programs provide professional development opportunities and online resources to teachers and their students. Resources and sample lesson plans are available at Italy Reads Resources for Teachers. This material relevant to the current year is updated as we proceed through the academic year. Material from past editions can be accessed at Italy Reads Archives.

High School Teachers can apply to participate in the Italy Reads 2025-2026 Professional Development Course (Jan.-May 2025). The link to the Application Form will be posted here in November. Deadline to apply: January 17.

Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l'Orientamento (PCTO), formerly Alternanza Scuola Lavoro (ASL)

All of the above-listed programs can satisfy PCTO (Dlg.107/15) requirements for Italian high school students. The following is required:

• An Agreement for PCTO must be stipulated between JCU and the school. Once the agreement has been signed, the school will appear on the map "Impact of Programs for High Schools with John Cabot University" (see above)
• The teacher/PCTO Tutor for the school registers their students according to the instructions and deadlines for each program using the Unique Registration Form.
• When their students have completed each program, the teacher/PCTO Tutor verifies completion of all activities for the program and requests certification using the Unique Registration Form.

For further information about Programs for High Schools at JCU write to [email protected].

Schools across Italy (168) have participated in at least one of the Programs for High Schools, and 129 of these have signed an Agreement with John Cabot University to participate in at least one of the activities offered for PCTO. If your school is not included in the Impact of Programs for High Schools Map above, please write to us at [email protected] as soon as possible.