February 2009

Two Seniors Build a Future in Engineering with the Help of Amgen

Steve Quick, Principal, Oroville High School; Justin Miller, Student
Debora Gurrad, Teacher/Mentor, Kingston High School; Moshe Calm, Student

Moshe Calm earned a perfect score on his AP Chemistry exam and aced early entrance to Illinois Institute of Technology and Eastern University.

Justin Miller tackled AP Calculus and Statistics to better his options of getting into one of the best engineering schools in the country. His top pick at the moment is Caltech.

Both of these brilliant young men are fast-tracked for a career in engineering and they are getting there, in part, because of DLC online courses sponsored by the Amgen Foundation. Beginning last spring, the Amgen Foundation granted the DLC funds to cover the costs of Justin and Moshe's online AP-level math and science courses, along with 20 other Washington high school students studying math and science online.

DLC fills the learning gap

“Moshe took the AP Chemistry exam and got a five… a five!” says Debora Gurrad, his DLC Teacher/Mentor. Gurrad helped steer Moshe toward the online AP course when Kingston High School cut the AP Chemistry class he needed. “The online courses were good and he is an amazing student. With the help of the online teacher and the support of Kingston Chemistry/Physics teacher Josh Haza, Moshe was able to succeed with a very demanding curriculum.”

A similar situation arose for Justin. Oroville High Principal Steve Quick explains, “We are a small school and we don’t have enough interest in AP classes for us to offer them any other way than online. Technology is a great option. Online courses provide flexibility with scheduling and availability.”

Quick loves online learning and the options it gives his school and students: “I've been involved with the DLC almost since it started. It's one of the great things that have happened to education in Washington State in my opinion.”

Online learning is individualized learning

Moshe found that his online teacher was “responsive and the online discussion boards with other students were helpful.” Justin agrees: “I really like the format of my Aventa Statistics class this year. You get to take the worksheet as many times as you need to get 100% to ensure that you really have the concepts before you take the tests. This class has a lot of support opportunities, like discussion boards, so you know what you are doing and can stay informed.”

Accountability and support for math and science students

“Since Moshe’s class was sponsored by Amgen, funds were freed up for another student to take a DLC online course. I think he would have taken it anyway, but it was a great thing for the school that Amgen sponsored the course,” says Gurrad.

Quick adds, “Amgen sponsored an AP Calculus class last year for Justin. This year, they sponsored his AP Statistics class. The Amgen support helped us to offset costs, but it also gave Justin another set of eyes on him while he was working; he knew he was accountable.”

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