Hanover Central High School
Teacher, Mentor Spurs Students toward Entrepreneurial, Innovative Paths
Through her teacher, mentor and facilitator roles, Kristina “Kris” Fleming is sparking innovative mindsets in her students as a work-based learning coordinator at Hanover Central High School.
Kris has been a teacher for 29 years and currently focuses on entrepreneurship for the last 8 years at Hanover. She strives to introduce basic business operations with hands-on skill-building activities, including product development, public speaking, business creation, marketing strategies, financial concept practices, presentation of ideas to a real audience and pitch competitions.
“I enjoy what I do because I get to see students discover their strengths, gain confidence, and realize that their ideas have value,” she said. “Watching a student go from an idea to creating and pitching something they believe in is incredibly rewarding. I love helping students see possibilities and encouraging them to become confident problem solvers.”
Kris is a STARTedUP Foundation Fellow and has supported her students for the pitch competition and helped prepare them for the event from developing the business idea to honing their speaking and presenting skills for the competition. One of her students has competed at the state level, taking home second place.
“I hope to make an impact by helping students see their potential and giving them the confidence to take an idea and turn it into a solution,” she said. “I want students to leave my classroom believing they can solve problems, take risks, communicate their ideas, and create opportunities for themselves and others.”
Kris earned her Bachelor’s degree at Indiana State University, her Master’s in Education at Indiana Wesleyan, and is a 2025 Society of Innovators Inductee.
She structures her curriculum on real-world experiences to extend her lessons beyond the classroom. You will often find entrepreneurs and business leaders connecting with students as guests, creating a platform for authentic learning opportunities.
“It is important to advocate for entrepreneurs because they need encouragement, connections, and opportunities to turn ideas into action,” she said. “Youth entrepreneurs especially need support because they are still developing the confidence and experience to take risks, learn from failure, and believe their ideas can make a difference.”
Kris tackles the mentoring aspect of her role by showing up outside of the classroom for her students’ events, connecting them to a network of professional leaders and additional mentors and focusing on individual students’ strengths.
“When we provide mentorship, resources, and real-world opportunities, we help young people develop skills that will benefit them whether they start a business or pursue another career.”