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Students share passion for
education at first STING event
Andy Keller had an idea
and STING was born.
Education will never
be the same
By Linda Meckler
The Alpine Sun
EL CAJON - On Saturday March 5, Granite
Hills High School opened their doors for a history-making day.
This day was simply called S.T.I.N.G. (Student Teachers Igniting
the Next Generation). This program was developed from the MIT
program called Splash, which has been in existence since 1957.
Splash is a two-day event in which middle school and
high school students are invited onto the MIT campus. They
attend exciting classes taught and created by MIT students to
stimulate their creativity and mind.
A junior from the Granite Hills High School, Andy
Keller, visited the MIT campus in Boston, Massachusetts and took
part in the Splash program last year. Keller was so impressed by
the potential for students to become excited about school,
instead of becoming bored and dropping out. He knew this program
would keep students in school and he took the first steps to
create and launch the first STING event.
In 2009 the drop out rate in San Diego County,
according to the California Department of Education, was just
over 20 percent. Students lose interest and motivation in middle
school, leading to dropping out in high school. “What's in it
for me?” They ask. And so, STING was born.
“The goal of the program is to guarantee learning in
the students. To help find something they are passionate about,”
Keller said. He hopes to return to MIT as a student majoring in
Physics and Computer Engineering.
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| Andy
Keller created the STING program to share his love
of learning with younger students. |
Keller along with six of his friends made a trip to
Stanford University to check out their Splash program. The three
universities who sponsor the Splash program are MIT, Stanford
and the University of Chicago. The group returned from the
Splash program excited about what they had seen and heard. The
STING program was about to be launched, and the group of friends
became the STING Core. It started as a community service project
of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Granite Hills
by this group of students who wanted to make a difference in the
educational future of all students.
Keller's first action to make his idea of the STING
program a reality was to contact Splash at MIT. This is where
Dan Zaharopol, an MIT undergraduate at the time, and Andy Keller
from Granite Hills High School merged minds. Keller was very
proudly wearing a black t-shirt with white letters that read
S.T.I.N.G. Core CEO at Saturday's event.
“I think that if you really want to achieve what you
are capable of, you have to find out what you love to do,”
Zaharopol said. “Expose yourself to many things early.”
Between the two men action was taken, history was made
and STING was launched at Granite Hills.
The goals of the STING program are:
To instill a love of learning for a lifetime.
To help students discover that learning can be fun.
To use what they are passionate about to fuel their goals.
To help the education system from the, “inside-out” - starting
with the students themselves.
The student teachers, made up of high school students,
get to create, motivate and teach the classes they are
passionate about. The students are motivated, want to stay in
school and share their passion.
There were 70 student teachers on hand teaching the
middle school students. All the student teachers were from
Granite High School. Three areas were involved; El Cajon, Alpine
and Lakeside all part of the Grossmont Union High School
District. Nine different middle schools were involved and 245
students took part in the Saturday event.
When the students registered they were given a green
canvas tote bag donated by Waste Management. Inside were note
pads donated by SDG&E and a booklet donated by McDonalds. A list
of the classes, a map of the campus, and an identification tag
were handed out by the registration team. Students chose the
classes they wanted to attend.
The PTSA were out in force helping with food
distribution for the students, staff and volunteers. Both
parents were wearing pink t-shirts that read O.U.C.H., which
stand for, “over achieving, underpaid, caring, helpers.”
“This is an awesome event,” remarked the women. “Too
bad it wasn't done early last year.”
Juniors Solin Melahaji and Cynthia Chairez, two of the student
staff said, “very well organized. No problems. The volunteers
were very helpful.”
“We are focusing on kids today,” said Granite Hill
Principal Georgette Torres. “Teachers are here to assist the
kids, auxiliary helpers.
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Students take part in the Extreme Paint class. |
At the Extreme Paint class where there were sheets hung
on poles. The students were able to paint with brushes, sponges
and rags. The smiles on the student's faces said it all.
“Awesome said Brianne Murphy, 13, of Lakeside Middle School.”
Jenny Larkin, a junior, did a great job making the
press welcome and accompanying them to the various classes
around campus. “The teachers are teaching the classes that are
fun and which they are totally passionate about,” she said.
Doodling was another creative class taught by junior
Oaysia Rodrigiez. The students were really enjoying this class.
Sixth grader Matt Montgomery enjoyed the class. “Really good, we
use our imaginations to draw. Use creativity to see what we can
create.”
Ryan Case, a junior, taught color guard. He is a member
of the Granite Hills marching band. Angelica Wood said, “this is
the first time practicing but her sister gave her some pointers.
It's fun.”
Some of the other classes offered throughout the day
were: Cupcake Creations, Sign Language, Zombie Defense, History
- Star Wars, History - Harry Potter, Ice Cream, Circus Secrets,
Shoot Like Kobe, Destination Imagination and Volcano. There was
enough creativity in these programs to install a powerful young
person to want to stay in school and keep their mind open.
While young students were taking part in classes, their
parents were in the library learning about the STING program and
other education resources. Keller even gave the parents a sample
STING class.
Kelsey Beeman, GHHS Guidance Counselor spoke about The
ABC's of the A-G's. Understanding the high school course for
entering Californian Colleges.
Mike Fowler, Assistant Principal, spoke about Career
Technical Education, Career Pathways in GUHSD.
Tim McCarthy, AP/IB Coordinator talked about Advanced
Placement (AP) and GATE opportunities.
Matt Davis, IB C.A.S. Coordinator spoke about
International Baccalaureate (IB), IBO and Service Learning. And
Dan Zaharopol, CEO, Learning Unlimited taught parents how to
find more educational opportunities for their student.
Members of the PTSA held a forum discussing the
realities of having a high school student. They discussed home
life, high school, extracurricular activities and academics.
The first STING event is now in the history books.
While it couldn't have succeeded without the help of teachers
and staff, the entire operation was organized and implemented by
students, and it all started with an idea by Senior Andy Keller.
Education will never be the same.
For more information about the STING Program go to the
web site:
Granite.Learningu.org.
E-mail
Christy Scott
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