Caltex Fuel Your School program awards learning materials to schools in Metro Manila

Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), the marketer of Caltex fuels and lubricants, recently awarded brand new learning equipment to the winning schools of the Caltex Fuel Your School program.

During the fuel up drive and social media campaign from June 15 to July 15, 2015, Chevron was able to reach its target of a P5-million donation fund. The P5-million will be used to put to reality the 28 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) classroom proposals submitted to the Fuel Your School website. This list was shortlisted by the program partner American Chamber Foundation and was pre-selected by DepEd as schools most in need of support in Metro Manila.

Aside from posting the projects on the Fuel Your School website, Caltex also ran a campaign via Facebook, wherein schools were to devise gimmicks and strategies to rack upvotes.

Surprisingly, Caloocan National Science and Technology High School, the smallest in the shortlisted schools in terms of population, emerged as victors after getting the most number of votes. They were able to achieve this feat by using the ‘web-of-mouth’ strategy to which all of their students participated. This, alongside with their “Facebook voting hour” campaign, proved to be effective. Behind them are Culiat High School in Quezon City and Pasay City East High School. All 3 schools received a brand new laptop as a bonus prize in addition to their requested STEM learning equipment.

STEM teaching tools include laboratory equipment, engineering kits, scientific calculators, laptops, tablets, and multimedia projectors. These were received with both delight and tears by the teacher proponents, astounded as they still can’t believe that their wishes had come true.

In some cases, teachers got really emotional upon receiving the STEM equipment. In Carlos L. Albert High School in Quezon City, most students have limited or no access to the Internet. As the school’s science department head Cecilia Biapo tearfully puts it, “In the past, storms and typhoons forms were discussed through ‘MP3’ or ‘Manila Paper 1, 2, 3’. Now, we have a 48-inch flatscreen TV! Who wouldn’t want to see animations of cyclogenesis with that?”

Here are the top three winning schools, their project names, and the STEM equipment awarded:

Caloocan National Science and Technology High School - Digital Math-ters - 30 mobile tablet units
Culiat High School - 5 E's LEARNING LABORATORY - Laboratory glassware, human reproductive system model, AVP set
Pasay City East High School - InterScieTivity on the Go - 7 computer units, Internet wifi router

Of course, this program will not be successful without the help of the general public and motorists as they are the main proponents of the campaign. Entrepreneur Mich Mori said, “I supported the campaign because I wanted to do my part in helping these kids have a bright future. Who would’ve thought that a portion of my weekly gas expense can turn into something beneficial?”