The Summit was selected as one of 10 recipients of Shell’s 2021 Deer Park $35,000 grant award.
Sanjay Gupta, physics and chemistry teacher at the Summit, was instrumental in securing the grant award (totaling $13,000) after submitting an application requesting funding for tablets for his classroom.
“Instead of doing labs with paper and pencil, they can now do it on tablets,” Gupta said. “I want them to have access to the latest technology to provide an engaging learning experience for students”
Gupta was selected to receive the grant by a local community panel for making a positive impact on his students. Due to some delays associated with the COVD pandemic, the grant was awarded to him back in May 2021 but they received the funding for the tables a few months later.
Gupta, who has been teaching at Summit for the past 10 years, always emphasizes the importance as well as the correlation between math and science and its impact on technology.
He said that the new tablets will help to increase students’ understanding of math and science and apply that knowledge during labs.
“I want students to know the basics of science and be able to apply that knowledge to whatever profession they choose,” Gupta said.
Robert De Wolfe, Summit principal said he was excited for Mr. Gupta upon learning the news about the grant award.
“When he received this grant, I was amazed and happy for him,” he said. “Mr. Gupta works very hard to make the educational experience interesting for all of our students. This shows that there are people out there who appreciate his ideas and his way of thinking for our students.”
Summit is a non-traditional program utilizing research-based interventions to focus on meeting the academic, emotional and social needs of the students and their families. The Summit encourages students to e make new and positive choices and mentors them to have the courage to change.