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February 2014 STEM Education FROM PAGE 10


STEM major or an interest in declaring a STEM major. The SMASH program doubles that rate for the students who participate.


We noticed that our SMASH


program wasn’t attracting as many African American young men as we had sought to, and so we started our SMASH: Prep program, which serves African American males in grades 6 through 8. Only 45 African American students took the AP Computer Science exam in California in 2012. That’s a crisis. There are going to be twice as many computer science jobs as there are other STEM jobs in the next 10 years, and it’s a lucrative field.


Has LPFI been paying special


attention to computer science given the statistics?


We’ve been working with Oakland


Unified School District to bring the district more instruction in computer science, something that the district is incredibly motivated to do. We got approval from the superintendent to put together a working group and are going to be supporting the district in thinking through bringing computer science to students … Another thing we’re doing are the hackathons. The point of the hackathons is exposure. We thought that, first of all, students need exposure to computer science, and then once they’re excited about the field we can potentially set them up for a deeper dive into the subject.


The students blew us away with


what they were able to do. They started out with little to no experience with or exposure to computer science. They thought about the challenges in their communities, and the root causes of those challenges, and then went out and surveyed and researched. Then, after that, they created mobile apps that addressed the root causes of the challenges.


What kinds of apps did the students come up with?


One of the groups created a


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


mobile app that helped them create safe walking routes from their schools to their homes … Other students created an app to help restaurants with excess food coordinate with food banks. They were able to do this within a weekend. We didn’t know if that was going to be possible. Not only were they able to put together the apps, but they were also able to present in font of a panel of judges made up of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. We had to beg the students to leave at the end of the day. How often do we see this in schools, where students just won’t leave?


We really let the students take


charge in saying what they wanted to build. These are not students that traditionally have access to computer science but could really utilize computer science to help their communities or themselves in some way. It’s the learned experiences of our students that inform the kinds of apps they create; what they came up with was an insight into the challenges they’re facing. If we leave it to Silicon Valley, we’re just going to get more social media apps. Silicon Valley wants diverse candidates because diverse candidates think of diverse ideas and solutions. It helps their bottom line.


The participants in our hackathons


have been half boys and half girls. The SMASH program is also 50-50. There are just as many girls as boys who routinely express interest in math, science, and technology.


What are the biggest challenges


to helping students see themselves as producers of technology rather than just consumers?


Our research says that it’s a lack


of very early exposure to the field, first of all – the fact that you can do it, that it’s a possible career for you. If you grow up in a poor neighborhood, your school might be underfunded and lacking computer science teachers and a rigorous STEM curriculum. It’s not that everyone that gets exposure to computer science will become a computer scientist; it’s just that a lack of exposure is a terrible reason for someone to not enter the field.


You are cordially invited to attend...


City Council meetings... Norfolk - regular meetings are held on the first and fourth Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. and the second and third Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.


Chesapeake - regular meetings are held on the second, third and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.


Newport News - regular business meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m.


Suffolk - regular meetings are held on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.


Hampton - typically take place on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m.


Virginia Beach - meets on the first four Tuesdays of each month. In July the meetings are scheduled on the first two Tuesdays only. Formal session begins at 6 p.m.


Portsmouth - meeting dates are the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.


The Hampton Roads Messenger 11


Visiting Angels' Franchisees Will Have the Opportunity to Access Affordable Legal Services


LegalShield, one of the nation's


leading providers of legal safeguards for individuals, families and small businesses, announced today a partnership with Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services to offer its small business legal plan to Visiting Angels franchisees throughout North America. Visiting Angels is a home care network with more than 450 franchises across the United States and Canada.


Through the partnership, every


Visiting Angels franchisee will have the opportunity to purchase a LegalShield Small Business Plan. The plan will give the franchisee access to LegalShield provider attorneys who will provide legal advice and counsel on any business legal issue, contract and document review, and more. In eliminating the cost barriers associated with obtaining legal counsel, LegalShield's small business plan ensures that the 47,000 currently enrolled members have access to the legal support they need to protect and grow their business.


"For over 15 years, Visiting


Angels has been dedicated to offering the best care to seniors and those in need of in-home care," said David Plank, VP of Business Development at Visiting Angels. "With this in mind, we are committed to the success of our franchisees. The LegalShield Small Business Plan will enable them to have


access to the affordable legal services small businesses often need. "


In addition to LegalShield's


small business plan, Visiting Angels franchisees can also join the more than 34,000 companies currently offering LegalShield's personal legal plans as a voluntary benefit to their employees. Through LegalShield's personal legal plans, employees gain access to unlimited personal legal advice from LegalShield provider attorneys on topics such as mortgages, wills, contracts and more. Employees also have the option to enroll in LegalShield's identity theft plans for the added benefits of identity monitoring and identity restoration services. LegalShield's personal legal plans effectively reduce employee stress and absenteeism while driving productivity.


"Visiting Angels protects and


cares for seniors across the country, and we're proud to provide its dedicated, selfless franchisees and their employees with quality, affordable legal representation," said Rip Mason, CEO of LegalShield. "All small businesses, especially those providing assistance to the most vulnerable, deserve access to legal protection at an affordable price."


For more information visit: www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com Scholarship Watch CBCF General Mills Health Scholarship Description


The CBCF General Mills Health Scholarship is for students pursuing majors related to health. This scholarship is based on your major (minors are not considered).


Amount


Recipients will receive a $2,500 award. Eligibility


To be eligible for a CBCF General Mills Health Scholarship, applicants must:


• Be a full-time undergraduate or graduate degree-seeking student at an accredited college or university OR a current high school senior preparing to become a full-time undergraduate or graduate degree-seeking student at an accredited college or university


• Be planning to pursue a degree in the fields of medicine, engineering, technology, nutrition, or other health-related studies


• Have a minimum 2.75 GPA


• Exhibit leadership ability and participate in community service activities


• Live or go to school in a Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) member district (eligibility based on your permanent or local address). Determine your U.S. Representative, then determine if they are a member of the CBC. All residents of New Jersey have a senator who is a member of the CBC and may apply. Students may use their home or college address to determine eligibility and apply.


Deadline


Feb. 28, 2014 Application Materials


Completed applications for the CBCF General Mills Health Scholarship must be sent to Scholarship Management Services and postmarked by Feb. 28, 2014.


Please note that application materials are to be mailed to the address below:


CBCF General Mills Health Scholarship Program Scholarship Management Services One Scholarship Way Saint Peter, MN 56082


Questions


To contact Scholarship Management Services regarding this award and the application, please call Peggy Stenzel at (507) 931-1682. To contact CBCF, call (202) 263-2800 or e-mail scholarships@cbcfinc.org.


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