Photos
Students from Kerr and Whitman Elementary Schools in Mesa, Arizona have just completed 12 weeks (01-29-02 to 04-26-02) of a remarkable program. Spending up to six additional hours per week, selected students were treated to an opportunity to improve math skills with the help of local Boeing engineers. The highlights of the program included a day of instruction by young Boeing engineers. By sharing their stories of how the engineers worked to get an education, many of the students realized that "If they can be engineers, so can I ". The engineers shared real life math problems with the students thus showing how important math is in real life. The girls were especially surprised to see that girls could be engineers, too!
The Math Academy was offered three days per week for two hours per day at Whitman Elementary and 1.5 hours per day at Kerr Elementary. The students split the time each day with classroom instruction and computer applications. Sixth grade students served as peer tutors who assisted their classmates every day. These tutors were given refurbished computers donated by the STrut Program (Students Refurbishing Used Technology) under the leadership of Sharon Hain at Red Mountain High School in Mesa. Students who received the computers had the entire family trained on the set up and operation of the "new" equipment by Mesa's Educational Technology department.
Many of the parents of children in the program received computer training themselves one evening per week. The parents learned to improve typing skills, how to create business documents, and how to use the Internet.
The Math Academy truly has had a significant impact on these two communities, both the students and the families.
Visit the Flight Centers