Chevron programme inspires learning at classroom level

Chevron USA Inc’s 2015 Fuel Your School programme generated more than US$8.8 million to help fund 10 126 classroom projects, including 4351 focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The programme, an innovative collaboration with DonorsChoose.org to support public education in 21 US communities, helped provide teachers at 3805 public schools with much needed resources for their classrooms.

"We're proud to provide more than 1 million students with the classroom materials needed to help foster their interest in STEM subjects and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow," said Dale Walsh, President of Chevron Americas Products. "By working together – with community members, teachers and parents – we're helping to ensure our students receive access to hands on learning and inspire them to pursue STEM education."

Through the programme, US$1 was contributed when consumers purchased eight or more gallons of fuel during the month of October at participating Chevron and Texaco stations in 21 select markets, up to each market's cap.

Darlene Wonggaew, a third grade teacher at Da Vinci Innovation Academy in Hawthorne, California, requested a Physics Fun Park Electronics Discovery Kit to help students gain a better understanding of the laws of physics and how these concepts are used to create and run an amusement park. Chevron's Fuel Your School programme helped make this a reality for Wonggaew and her students.

"Children remember concepts best when they have the opportunity to discover why something works," Wonggaew said. "The items Chevron's Fuel Your School programme helped fund will allow my students to create their own Physics Fun Park by building games and rides that incorporate magnets and electricity, while learning the laws of physics behind the games."

The Fuel Your School programme is part of Chevron's total commitment to education, both inside and outside of the classroom. Chevron has invested nearly US$250 million since 2013, supporting programs that focus on STEM education initiatives designed to provide students and teachers with the critical skills and resources needed to succeed in jobs of the future.

Since its inception in 2010, the Fuel Your School programme has helped fund 33,685 classroom projects at 5155 schools in the US.

"We envision a nation where children in every community have the tools and experiences needed for an excellent education," said Charles Best, Founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. "Through the Fuel Your School programme, Chevron has helped to positively impact the lives of countless students and teachers by helping to provide them with some of the top most requested STEM items – including math manipulatives, hands on biology kits, lab safety gear, digital microscopes, tablets and laptops, as well as basic classroom supplies – to inspire engaged, hands on learning."

Adapted from press release by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/10122015/chevron-programme-inspires-learning-at-classroom-level-1923/