Third Set of Coats Delivered!
Pictured: Project SCIFI visits Richmond High School. Samir (CNO, fourth from right) with the Richmond High Science Department.
In about a month, Project SCIFI has successfully provided three schools with lab gear care packages. The third package was delivered to Richmond High by Shashank Patil (CPO) and Samir Hassanin (CNO) roughly a week ago. After delivering the lab gear and interacting with the teachers and students that day, they both reflected on their experience at RHS. The following is a condensed version of what they had to say:
Shashank: It was a rainy and foggy day today in Richmond, California. When Samir and I arrived at Richmond High in the afternoon, we first made our way to Mr. Pham’s classroom and met the other teachers that made up the school’s science department. After meeting the teachers we loaded our lab gear on carts and made our way back toward the front entrance of the school. As we rolled our way over, two teenagers, who we presume were students, asked, “Who are those for?” to which I replied, “They’re for your science classes, for you.” I saw their eyebrows raise as we walked through the front door.
Samir: The teachers’ faces lit up as we wheeled in the materials, and Shashank and I explained upon arrival how Project SCIFI has impacted us and how our work was inspired from our shared experiences navigating through public schools. Our conversation about science and health quickly turned into a group dialogue about how we could further assist Richmond High throughout our collaboration together. We then progressed into taking photos, marking the beginning of our partnership with the school.
Shashank: As we prepared to leave, Samir and I discussed how Project SCIFI is currently in the process of creating experiment kits that could be used to demonstrate scientific concepts. In addition, we talked about how our educational team is looking forward to helping their biology teachers update their curricula to align with the Next Generation Science Standards. In doing so, our shared goal is to better engage students and more effectively teach the material to biology students.
Samir: While the process of dropping off the materials was fun and collaborative, it also showed me first-hand how important the occasion was for these teachers. The aura within the room was inspiring, reinforcing the notion that SCIFI has come a long way from a simple idea to an organization carrying out our goals from months ago.