Rincon Rotary helps Cienega High School explore Mars.

Cienega High School Teacher Jack Erickson receives a robotics kit from Rincon Rotarian Dr. David Davenport.

Cienega High School Teacher Jack Erickson's astronomy course has been building Mars rovers as a part of the STEM curriculum for the past 10 years, but their old kits were failing. Through the generous support of the Vail Education Foundation, PTA, Tax Credits, Site Council, and others, he was one robot away from having a robot for each student. The Rincon Rotary was happy to provide his final robotics kit, so that students could learn "critical thinking and problem solving skills as they overcome obstacles that NASA engineers have struggled with when designing the rovers that are currently on Mars."

Rincon Rotary's support is part of its Rotary LOCAL program, whose mission is to help improve the local community through educational outreach. Rotary LOCAL can provide manpower, resources from local business partners, or in some cases, direct financial support to teachers who apply for assistance.

To find out more about Rotary LOCAL and how it may be able to help you, go to rotarylocal.org. Primary support for Rotary LOCAL comes from the Rincon Rotary's annual fundraiser, The Tucson Taste of Chocolate