Wow! Can you believe the year is almost over?!
For us, it was all about you – our community of committed students, parents and caregivers, educators, volunteers, donors, supporters, board and staff – and the impact we had across the state of Arizona.
We’re taking a moment to reflect on the past twelve months and all we have accomplished together in creating Arizona’s future critical thinkers and problem solvers through science and engineering.
2022 Highlights
Looking back on this year and reflecting on some of our favorite moments, we are humbled and grateful on the impact we had on so many students, parents and caregivers, educators, and science education.
As we continue to build Arizona’s largest pipeline of future critical thinkers and problems solvers, SARSEF moved office locations to the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona in October! Our team also grew, welcoming four new staff members: Kate Fitzpatrick– Corporate & Community Engagement Manager, Jessica Howe– Manager of In-School Outreach, Rose Prendergast– Racing the Sun Specialist, and Yvonne Pysher– Director of Marketing and Communications.
SARSEF programs were also on a roll this year! We launched a new rural high school program, bringing university-level research to four rural high school classrooms in Douglas, Safford, Sahuarita, and Willcox, Arizona (read more about it here). Our Summer Camp programming also expanded as we partnered with the Arizona Science Center to bring Camp Innovation to over 50 students in July.
We are also excited to share that Amber Folkman, Manager of School Relationships and Impact and SARSEF, were selected to participate in Social Venture Partners ‘Fast Pitch’! It is a program for nonprofit leaders and an event designed to create community level change (learn more about Fast Pitch here).
Our Education team has also been busy, reaching students, parents and caregivers, and educators all across the state. We launched our first ever Science Fair Workshop, serving over 1,000 students to inspire and get them excited about the science fair. We have also expanded our Professional Development Program, serving educators in Bisbee, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.
Last, but certainly not least, 460 committed volunteers donated over 4,000 hours in service! Looking back on this year proves that passion and commitment of creating Arizona’s future critical thinkers and problem solvers through science and engineering is fueling positive change for a better tomorrow.
About SARSEF:
SARSEF was formed in 1955 in an effort to increase student interest in the field of science. The mission of SARSEF is to engage Arizona’s Pre-K-12 grade students in critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they participate in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) through inquiry-based learning and research.
SARSEF accomplishes this mission through a variety of programming including a high school mentoring program, the STAR Lab, SARSEF Fair Week, educational outreach programs with an emphasis on underrepresented populations in the sciences, teacher professional development, ACES Camp for Middle School girls, Racing the Sun, and Arizona STEM Adventure.
To learn more about SARSEF programs and how students, teachers, and families can get involved, visit sarsef.org