- Folsom Cordova Unified School District
- District News
CHS Teacher is a State Finalist for Samsung Solve For Tomorrow contest
Faith Caplan, teacher at Cordova High School, oversees and teaches classes in the Product Innovation and Design Pathway, part of the California Partnership Academies at CHS. We just learned she is a State Finalist in the very competitive Samsung Solve For Tomorrow Contest! CHS is one of only 13 other California schools to be named a finalist in this national competition designed to "boost interest and proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering and MATH (STEM), and challenges public school teachers and students in grades 6-12 to show how STEM can be applied to help improve their local community." For the submission, Caplan assembled a team of multi grade-level students to come up with an invention. They envisioned a vending machine to serve the homeless population. People in need would deposit trash into the machine, and receive personal hygiene products in return. Advising the student team were community partners from Folsom Lake Innovation Center, Parallax, Rancho Cordova Navigator and Loaves and Fishes. Students drew upon the skills they learn in Caplan's classes such as "creativity, problem-solving, test and redesign and teamwork." According to Principal Jerad Hyden "Our California Partnership Academies (Agriculture, Business, Culinary, and Engineering) are phenomenal - the program is literally funded on serving "at-risk" students as evidenced by a set of pre-established criteria." He is also pleased to report a "95% success rate amongst 10th grade Academy students," in both academic and attendance measures. As a state finalist, Caplan has already won a Samsung Tablet for her classroom, and is now competing for the grand prize of a "$100,000 prize package including Samsung technology and classroom resources."
-Angela Griffin Ankhelyi, APR, Community Engagement Specialist, agriffin@fcusd.org |