My name is Maria Arias Evans and I am principle of Washington Elementary is San Jose.
Washington Elementary is a school that is made up of 500 children.
Ninety-five percent of our children are latino and they live in a down town neighborhood.
And this neighborhood is beset by many, many urban problems.
So our children wake up each morning looking forward to school because school becomes the
highlight of their day.
We have seen a tremendous growth in our academic progress, in large measure to our community
partnerships.
One of our most valued relationships is with The Tech.
When children go to the Tech and they learn how circuits work, they go home and turn on
the light switch and they say “I know how this works.”
And they are eager to learn more.
Teacher: Ya, give me a high five.
Children: Ohhhh.
TR: Maria understand well that kids need a lot of support from the community in order
to achieve their potential.
Teacher: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Child: When I grow up I want to be a Scientist.
Teacher: A scientist?
That’s great!
TR: What the Tech offers is a the way for kinds to engage excitedly, really, in fun
ways with science, technology, engineering and math.
ME: The Tech Museum exposes my children to a variety of careers and professions.
It is so exciting to see our relationship with the Tech museum fostering curiosity,
excitement and the desire to do the very, very best in the future.