On the Rise:
ZCHS Entrepreneurs Claim Big Prize in Statewide Contest
Evan Walker and Cruz Weidner turn classroom lessons into $10,000 High School Hustle success stories
Two Zionsville Community High School (ZCHS) seniors are proving that big ideas and hard work pay off. From curb-numbering to landscaping, ZCHS Seniors and Entrepreneurs Evan Walker and Cruz Weidner turned their passions into growing businesses, and now, into statewide recognition. Their journey through the High School Hustle contest shows what happens when classroom learning, creativity, and community support come together.
A conversation with ZCHS Seniors and Entrepreneurs Evan Walker and Cruz Weidner who each won $10k in summer High School Hustle competition
Big Ideas Lead to Statewide Recognition
ZCHS Senior Michael Stanfied; ZCHS Senior Cruz Weidner, 1st Place Overall ($10,000 prize winner); ZCHS Graduate Seth Copner; 4th Place Overall ($10,000 prize winner); and ZCHS Senior Evan Walker, 9th Place Overall ($10,000 prize winner)
ZCHS Senior Michael Stanfied; ZCHS Senior Cruz Weidner, 1st Place Overall ($10,000 prize winner); ZCHS Graduate Seth Copner; 4th Place Overall ($10,000 prize winner); and ZCHS Senior Evan Walker, 9th Place Overall ($10,000 prize winner)
ZCHS Students Earn Statewide Recognition Through High School Hustle
When classroom learning, creativity, and community merge, two ZCHS seniors prove what’s possible: statewide success.
Evan Walker and Cruz Weidner were among the top 10 finishers in High School Hustle, a nonprofit contest designed to empower young entrepreneurs. More than 2,100 students across Indiana registered, and only 10 earned a place on the winners’ list, each receiving a $10,000 award.
Zionsville Community High School was the first-place campus overall ($185,747 of total revenue) out of 30 participating high school campuses and more than 100 student businesses. Forty-six students competed with 22 hustles meeting the threshold of $400 in revenue required to be eligible in the competition.
Learning That Lasts
Walker, president of the ZCHS Entrepreneurship Club, has been chasing business ideas since he was a child. His curb-number engraving business, Clear Vision Curbs, taught him the power of persistence.
“In one neighborhood, I completed 40 houses and made $6,000,” Walker said. “I learned so much.”
Weidner turned his interest in landscaping into a successful lawn and landscape business: Weidner Landscape. What started with neighbors quickly expanded as he marketed through social media.
“My goal is to keep leveling up into the construction world and continue being an entrepreneur,” he said.
Both credit ZCHS business classes, such as accounting, management, and entrepreneurship, for sparking creativity and equipping them with practical tools.
“The classes here help you think like an entrepreneur,” Weidner noted.
Learning to Lead
The High School Hustle experience is just part of a bigger culture of innovation at ZCHS. Walker and his peers have grown the Entrepreneurship Club's membership. Their recruiting style? A 20-foot-tall tower with flying $100 bills and the message The Sky’s the Limit.
The club is now preparing projects that blend learning and leadership, including a student-run coffee shop in the ZCHS Wedge and a “Sprint Success” competition where students will create and pitch businesses for prize money.
Community Impact
For Zionsville Community Schools, the accomplishments of Walker and Weidner highlight the district’s commitment to empowering students to explore their passions and make an impact.
“Entrepreneurship is all about thinking differently,” Walker said. “I want to create spaces where kids can test their ideas, fail, learn, and succeed.”
From curb-numbering and landscaping to statewide recognition, these students represent the best of ZCS: curiosity, creativity, and the courage to chase big dreams.
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