2023-24 Pinewood Scholars
Lacey Armistead, Jamie Burton, Jane Butler, Cole Chatterjee, Annabelle Eaton, Zach Galbraith, Katherine Garr, Ruby Hannely, Alakh Kapadia, Arnav Karandikar, Jake Kleiman, Elena Magliaro, Anika Nambisan, Violet Negrette, Vishesh Ranganathan, Leo Shang, Michael Shtrom, Christina Tanase, Koh Taradash, Avery Wilson, Kathleen Xie
Inspiring Journeys
PSP Juniors and Seniors spent embarked on edifying adventures in San Francisco during the last week of October.
Precita Eyes Muralists • Mission District
First, students learned about the community efforts and funding that Precita Eyes Muralists engage with to bring public art pieces to life. Learn more about this organization here.
Bi-Rite Creamery • Mission Dolores
After lunch, the class hopped back on the bus to meet employees at Bi-Rite Creamery, a BCorp organization. Students discovered the power of the BCorp certification. Witnessing the intersection of business and social consciousness, our students gained invaluable knowledge about integrating ethical practices into the fabric of a business's mission. To explore more about Bi-Rite’s influence in their community, visit their website here. Learn more about what it means to be a BCorp here.
Women's Building • Mission Dolores
The day culminated at the beautiful Women's Building, a women-led community space that advocates self-determination, gender equality, and social justice. The class met with the program's director to understand how they support the community through nonprofits that benefit women and families. Learn more about their efforts and this amazing space here.
Thank you to Jen Burton, Anne Butler, Jennifer Galbraith, and Cindy Eaton for chaperoning!
St. Francis Center • Redwood City
The October PSP class field trip to the St. Francis Center in Redwood City was an eye-opening and heartwarming experience for everyone involved.
Kathleen Hamilton, an impassioned teacher at the center, graciously guided the students through the facility, unveiling the multifaceted services the center provides to the community. As students navigated the tour, they were astounded by the diverse offerings, including a well-stocked food pantry, a clothing bank, housing initiatives, educational support through affiliated schools, thriving community gardens, and an enriching after-school program.
Witnessing the St. Francis Center's unwavering commitment to fostering a supportive environment for underserved communities was truly inspiring. The comprehensive approach to addressing the various needs of the residents was a testament to the transformative power of grassroots efforts.
The PSP class, composed of eager and curious students, was deeply moved by the sheer scope of the center's impact and the tangible difference it was making in the lives of countless individuals. This visit not only expanded PSP’s understanding of community service but also instilled a sense of responsibility and empathy within the students, encouraging them to reflect on how they, too, could make a positive difference in the world around them.
Purr-fect Honey Bee Sanctuary • Campbell, CA
In September, Ms. Gannon, Ms. Coty, and PSP juniors devoted their lunch period and PSP class block to an adventure at a bee sanctuary! Students learned quite a bit about these environmental champions at Purr-fect Honey, a unique 501c3 that acts as the ASPCA for bees.
Topics ranged from honey laundering to pollination concerns and colony collapse. Check out this “backyard social entrepreneur’s” website and learn more about how you can become a Bee Hero by adopting bees.
Support From Home
The PSP team believes parent involvement in the students’ passion projects is critical to their success.
PSP junior and senior parents enjoyed a Parent Brainstorming Night designed to foster meaningful connections, learn more about the PSP Social Entrepreneurship program, and engage in productive brainstorming sessions about potential project ideas.
Hosted at the Galbraiths’ home, this unique evening provided an opportunity for parents to collaboratively engage in their children’s social entrepreneurship journeys.
Curriculum Update
Module 1: "Who are you?"
Over the past weeks, the Pinewood Scholars have immersed themselves in the captivating world of self-discovery and social impact in Module 1.
Under Mrs. Gannon’s guidance, they have explored the depths of their passions and honed in on their unique skills, paving the way for their inspiring mission-driven projects this year. Students created resumes and LinkedIn pages to connect with organizations and contacts in their fields of interest.
Module 2: "What matters to me?"
The class is now transitioning into Module 2. Exposure to rich learning experiences and presentations about social action projects and programs worldwide helps students articulate their passions.
The primary aim of this module is to empower PSP students to discern the avenues where their skills and interests intersect, enabling them to carve out a meaningful path forward. With inquisitive minds and unwavering dedication, students will emerge from this phase with a heightened sense of purpose and direction for their passion projects.
See this work in action in the video below... More updates and discoveries to come!
Scholar Spotlights
In every issue, we will highlight a few student projects to keep you apprised of their progress. At this time, most PSP students are still in the process of discerning and defining. However, a few students already have the ball rolling with their projects.
Alakh Kapadia, Junior
Every year, 12 million American patients are misdiagnosed. An estimated 371,000 cases result in deaths and 424,000 cases of permanent disabilities. The average doctor has anywhere from 1000-2500 patients and may be given 20 minutes with each one individually. In these 20 minutes, the doctor must be brought up to speed on the patient’s symptoms, formulate a formal diagnosis, and offer treatment. Doctors are humans, too. They can make mistakes in these incredibly stressful situations.
My passion project, Hippocrates AI, is a doctor’s assistant that guides physicians through a patient’s diagnosis process. With Hippocrates AI, stresses and time pressures of a doctor’s job are alleviated, allowing him or her to focus on maintaining the human connection with the patient. A doctor would input a patient’s symptoms into the Hippocrates AI. The system would then ask follow-up questions and boil down a diagnosis to the most likely medical conditions based on symptoms and medical history.
Do you have ideas about how to help Alakh develop his AI tool? Please email him at 25akapadia@pinewood.edu.
Koh Taradash, Junior
More than 1.7 billion people are currently unbanked and don’t have access to credit to build businesses. It’s the Pinewood Global Microfinancing Program’s mission to make microloans to this very group. To achieve this, we are raising funds through donations and fundraisers, ensuring that 100% of the contributions directly benefit the borrowers.
As we embark on an effort to expand our outreach beyond Pinewood, we would appreciate any referrals to organizations and/or individuals who may be interested in supporting this worthy cause through donations.
Can you help Koh expand his network? Please email him at 25ktaradash@pinewood.edu.
Alumni News
Inspired by his PSP project, 2023 graduate Oscar Barnes continued to build on his grant writing skills, research, and networking skills this summer.
In collaboration with Ms. Hemm, he applied for a $10,000 grant from the Los Altos Rotary Endowment Fund to support SEL education on Pinewood's Upper Campus. The initiative aimed to financially support a Teens Ending Abuse (TEA) Club on Pinewood's Upper Campus. The 17-week TEA Club program is organized by the YWCA, fostering discussion about a variety of SEL topics, such as healthy relationships, consent, boundaries, safe bystander intervention, and more.
Oscar also worked for Ayesha Masud in Pinewood’s Development Office this summer. He established this relationship during his senior year PSP project while interviewing for his passion project.
Interested in Joining PSP?
The Pinewood Scholars Program (PSP) is our school's signature initiative for juniors and seniors. This social entrepreneurship program spans one and a half years, aiming to empower students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become socially responsible and impactful entrepreneurs.
Junior Year: Social Entrepreneurship 1
Students learn about social entrepreneurship and its significance in addressing social and environmental issues. They explore successful social enterprises and learn about these organizations’ positive impact on communities. Students can interact with local social entrepreneurs and gain insights into their ventures. Students are introduced to design thinking methodologies, enabling them to develop innovative and sustainable solutions for the identified social issues they want to address. Students will walk away from the class with a unique solution that makes the world a better place.
Senior Year: Social Entrepreneurship 2 (1st semester)
Students delve deeper into complex social entrepreneurship topics, such as discussing ethical considerations, understanding social justice, and fostering inclusive business practices. Building on their junior year experiences, students learn how to articulate their impact with their social entrepreneurship projects. Students develop their communication skills and learn to share their experiences and ideas as social entrepreneurs effectively.
Applications
PSP applications open in the early-spring of 10th grade. Look for more information in January.
Want to Know More?
Explore our past newsletters to get a feel for program experiences, speakers, and projects • Follow our latest adventures on Instagram!
Questions about the program? Have a fabulous speaker to recommend, or an impactful organization that our class should visit? Please contact Michelle Gannon at mgannon@pinewood.edu.