Chandler Silver Apple winner molding engineers of the future
Silver Apple is sponsored by Arizona Bank & Trust
CHANDLER, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Mark Jordan is not an engineer, but he is helping to mold and develop future engineers.
In fact, if you didn’t know any better, you might think his class is a college course. However, Mr. Jordan is an engineering teacher at Hamilton High School in Chandler.
His classroom is filled daily with high schoolers who hope to one day be the next astrophysicists or tech designers. “We get to explore things and we get to see how the world works,” explained Mr. Jordan. “You get to see kids not just learning how to do math on paper, but how to apply it in a real world situation.”
Mr. Jordan’s students say he is much more than just a teacher. He is a mentor to so many of them, and he inspires them to chase their dreams. Those are some of the reasons why his students want him to be recognized.
So, we visited his classroom to present him with a Silver Apple Award. He shared with us stories about his former students.
“I’m actually in contact with a lot of my old students and it’s it’s really good to hear back from them,” Mr. Jordan explained. “They’ll go on to college, and then they’ll start working for (companies) like Northrop Grumman or a local company, and they’ll always tell me that the really basic things that they did not think were important in class or ended up being super important to help them be successful in college and at their new career.”
Eleventh grader Michael Stahl developed a love for engineering in Mr. Jordan’s class. Stahl wrote the Silver Apple committee, nominating his teacher. “He’s always been there for me, even when I’m not my best,” Stahl said. “He’s cool. He’s funny. He’s entertaining while he’s teaching, and he’s just awesome!”
In partnership with the Silver Apple Award, Arizona Bank & Trust presented Mr. Jordan with a check.
“We are so honored to be able to support and celebrate you and all that you do for your students,” said Sabrina Strader from Arizona Bank & Trust. “And as a parent in the community, I can’t thank you enough for all you do. On behalf of Arizona Bank & Trust, we have a $1,000 check that is for you.”
Mr. Jordan says the real prize is the reward he receives every day in his classroom. “It is a great passion in life,” he said. “I love making things and breaking things and building things, and I get to do all that in engineering.”
He is igniting his passion for engineering and passing it on to his students, and he expects the sky’s the limit when it comes to what his students will achieve. Besides teaching engineering, he sponsors and mentors students in the engineering club, robotics club, and “Girls in STEM” at Hamilton High School.
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