North Charleston, SC – December 16, 2014 – It was from the Jerry Zucker Middle School cafeteria that Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes announced several significant investments supporting children’s wellness in the Charleston region.

The Lowcountry Food Bank received $100,000 to forward their mission, and Medical University of South Carolina will receive $5 million over the next 5 years towards  the construction of a new Children’s Hospital and Women’s Pavilion. Local leaders including Mayor Joseph Riley, Mayor Keith Summey, and County Council Chairperson Teddy Pryor were on hand and shared their appreciation of Mr. Conner and the Boeing company for their generous investment.

In addition, volunteers from Boeing SC were on hand to ensure every student received a large bag of fresh produce to take home today for healthy snacks over the coming winter break.

 

It was after the formal announcements were complete that Mr. Conner pulled school principal Jake Perlmutter aside to share more good news: A 3D printer has been ordered and will soon arrive at the school!

Mr. Conner presented a picture of the MakerBot Replicator Mini Compact 3D Printer to Principal Perlmutter, and asked that the new equipment be used to promote STEM education.

Later in the school day, the administrative team gathered to surprise pre-engineering teacher Mr. Kevin Fast and his students with the good news of a 3D printer destined for their classroom thanks to Boeing SC.

Pre-engineering student Toby Ryan Eller guessed correctly when Principal Perlmutter asked the students what they thought Boeing had given their classroom.

“I am very thankful Boeing has provided this 3D printer for our class – I hope to work there one day,” said Eller. “I plan to continue studying engineering next year at R. B. Stall High School,” he added.

Mr. Fast echoed his student’s thankfulness saying, “We could not be more thankful for this modern tool for our classroom – it will spark ideas and reinforce the relevance of science, technology, engineering, and math for students’ future career success.”

Mr. Perlmutter agreed adding, “This investment in our pre-engineering classroom will fuel academic success for many years to come, especially with the continued time and talent invested regularly by Boeing SC team members in our school.”

The 3D printer will arrive at the school and be installed after the holiday break.