Generous $1M gift aids Swampscott’s schools in science

SWAMPSCOTT – Local software engineer and philanthropist Mark Gelfand has pledged $1.03 million to a four-year project enhancing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education program at Swampscott Public Schools.”I worry that we’re falling behind,” Gelfand explained after Superintendent Lynne Celli made the announcement at the Tuesday School Committee meeting. “We all use our cell phones, but we don’t create our cell phones, we don’t understand electricity? I’m trying to jump-start the process for our community.”According to a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Celli and Gelfand, the Gelfand Family Charitable Trust will provide $332,000 for next September and $232,000 each year until June 2015 to “provide and enhance hands-on STEM education.”The funds will allow the district to hire three STEM teachers next year – one each for the high school and middle school, and one to be shared among the three elementary schools – at $55,000 per year, and will set aside $35,000 for professional development for high-school and middle-school teachers to implement STEM initiatives into the curriculum. The additional $100,000 funding in the first year will be used for equipment purchases.Program initiatives detailed in a preliminary plan include using the funds to inject a “STEM bias and orientation” into the curricula of major subjects at all levels. For instance, the memorandum cites studying the mathematics inherent in the musical scale in music classes, or studying wavelengths and spectrum of light and colors in art classes.The money will also be used to expand the newly created Robotics Club and add four robotics courses as well as a computer programming course at the high school. The high school will also add an Electronics Club and a Bioengineering Club. The elementary schools will continue to offer the Know Atom enrichment program (the overall favorable results of the first year of the program, which was funded by the Gelfand Trust, was also presented at the meeting) for grades 3 and 4.”Without this infusion of money, we wouldn’t be able to provide these opportunities,” Superintendent Celli said in thanking Gelfand. She added that the Swampscott Public Schools will make the program part of their curriculum so that it could be self-funded after June 2015.Gelfand, who described himself as an “implant” to Swampscott, said that he wanted to be “the catalyst” to get students interested in science and technology.”The goal is to get the kids interested in STEM from an early age,” he said. “They have to be turned on by middle school? and then they can get interested in the stuff as a hobby. I want them to also learn during their free time.”The Cleveland native said that he remembers being inspired to learn about math and science by the Space Race. But he worries that Massachusetts children have no similar source of inspiration. He said, for example, that administrators in the Newton Public Schools canceled his extracurricular math and physics instruction. In contrast, he said has donated money to develop schools in Eastern Africa where students and school officials are eager for technology training.”I’m an outcast with STEM here,” he said.But Swampscott officials expressed gratitude and excitement over Gelfand’s proposal.”Thank you,” said departing School Committee Member Maureen Thomsen. “I often say ‘feel the love,’ you can really feel the love here.”