Breaching Blue Podcast: Zach Rome, Founder of the Schooba Academy
The Schooba Academy is a New York City nonprofit that seeks to teach science to low-income students using an innovative tool: SCUBA. The result has been better test scores, lots of fun, and – best of all – a step closer to world SCUBA domination.
I chatted with its founder and director, Zach Rome, last week and recorded this podcast.
In it we talk about:
1. [0:38] – What is Schooba?
2. [1:23] – How is the program structured?
3. [4:00] – What is it like for a high schooler to learn this way?
4. [5:20] – How do you teach the science?
5. [6:20] – Where do the students go diving?
6. [7:31] – What assistance and donations have you gotten?
7. [9:55] – What have been the educational impacts?
8. [11:45] – What is the future for the Academy?
9. [13:03] – Where did this idea come from?
10. [14:33] – How do people help? Money donations? Equipment donations? Volunteer?
11. [16:15] – Have I been pronouncing “Schooba” wrong the entire podcast?
The Schooba Academy accepts help of many sorts: equipment donations, volunteers, and monetary support. It is sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so all donations are tax deductible. Zach’s email is zach@schooba.org and more information on how to help can be found here.
More pictures of the Schooba Academy can be found here.