According to WSMH-TV, Elon Musk was the surprise visitor at an assembly for a group of sixth- and seventh-graders from seven elementary schools in the Flint Community Schools District.
Students attending the assembly same from the following schools: Holmes STEM Academy; Neithercut Elementary; Durant-Tuuri; Mott Elementary; Eisenhower Elementary; Potter Elementary; Freeman Elementary; and Pierce Elementary.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver and State Representative Sheldon Neeley were also present for the assembly which was the latest in Musk’s commitment to helping the citizens of Flint. He announced in December last year he would provide $423,000 to pay for Chromebook laptops for all seventh- and eighth-graders in the school district.
The donation was made through the Elon Musk Foundation. As The Guardian writes, it is a rather secretive website that describes itself as follows: “Musk Foundation. Grants are made in support of Renewable energy research and advocacy; Human space exploration research and advocacy; Pediatric research; Science and engineering education.” Musk founded the Musk Foundation in 2002.
Musk also made use of his foundation in October last year when he donated the money to pay for new water stations and water filtration for the entire Flint Community Schools district. There are more than 4,500 K-12 students in the school district.
Musk talks about technology and experimentation
The students were very surprised to meet the technology and science mogul. Musk started things out by showing the students a video showcasing Space X.
Then he talked to the students about his love of science, especially with experimenting and building things when he was a kid. Musk wanted to inspire students to shot for the stars in their ambitions and not be afraid of failures – but “to try what they want to experiment with,” according to NBC25 News. Musk even talked to the students about his failures, showing them a video of his rocket “bloopers.”
The big surprise came at the end of the assembly when Musk, along with Flint School Superintendent Derrick Lopez, announced that every student present at the assembly would receive a laptop. Musk also announced that two student representatives from each school will be flown out to visit the SpaceX factory in California, reports the Detroit Free Press.
