More than 300 graduates of a new, Web-based program meant to inspire students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) were honored recently at Effingham County High School.
Georgia-Pacific provided students with the program by EverFi Inc.
Effingham County School Superintendent Randy Shearouse told the students that research shows that workers in the STEM field earn twice as much as their peers.
The students cheered when local Georgia-Pacific workers were introduced, telling them where they went to high school and college and what they do at the local plant.
Nearly 250 students completed the Georgia-Pacific STEM Scholars program at Effingham County High School and more than 70 students finished the course at South Effingham High School.
Another 150 Effingham students plan to take the course this spring.
The students went through 16 30-minute modules on topics such as binary numbers, the Pythagorean Theorem and HTML coding, showing real-world application of math and basic computer science skills in a course with a secret-agent theme.
Engaging, interactive lessons focused on skill building and highlighting the career possibilities that a STEM education can unlock.
“It answers that question, ‘When am I ever going to use this’ ” in the real world,” said Brittany Ferguson, schools manager for EverFi Gulf Coast Team.
The program uses online gaming and simulations to teach critical technology and coding skills, ignite interest in STEM, and expose students to STEM opportunities that they might never have dreamed were within their reach.
Shearouse said it’s important to excite students in ninth grade about their possible job opportunities. More children drop out of high school in ninth grade than in any other grade, he said.
Students who might not have an engineer or scientist in the family can see a possible career path, he said.
Monty Brown, vice president of manufacturing at Georgia-Pacific’s Savannah River Mill, said no matter now sophisticated the technology, plants such as the local one need capable workers.
“Georgia-Pacific has made this commitment in this community because of our strong belief that if we can light the spark in students to connect them to all the possibilities and opportunities in STEM, we can help to ensure their future success and propel our country forward to meet next-generation challenges and opportunities,” Brown said.
Students at both high schools were able to view the program on 64 Google Chromebooks that were provided by Georgia-Pacific. The program was provided to the school system at no cost.
About Georgia-Pacific
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs nearly 35,000 people worldwide. For more information, go to www.gp.com.
About EverFi
EverFi Inc. is an education technology company focused on teaching, assessing and certifying K-12 and college students in the critical skills they need for life. The company teams with major corporations and foundations to provide the programs at no cost to K-12 schools. Some of America’s leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EverFi investors, including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos; Twitter founder Evan Williams; and Tomorrow Ventures, the investment arm of Google Chairman Eric Schmidt. Learn more at www.everfi.com.