At O'Shea Keleher Whole Child Academy, fifth-grader Matthew Summerlot has been busy pursuing new interests in cooking, pop art, and 3D printing thanks to the school's Gifted and Talented (GT) program, where he has seized endless opportunities to explore his creative and artistic side.
Matthew, an honor roll student whose favorite subject is math and who loves to read "Dog Man" books, has expanded his talents to include designing and printing three-dimensional space animals and building Lego robots with the school's robotics club.
“I want the kids to know that they should go to this school because it's a really fun way to learn,” Matthew said.
In recognition of his outstanding accomplishments, Matthew was selected to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the Socorro ISD’s Board of Trustees regular meeting in September.
Matthew started at O'Shea Keleher Elementary School in 2020 after his parents moved to El Paso to work for Casas Por Cristo in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. After looking at different schools, his mom, Becky Summerlot, enrolled Matthew in SISD because of its year-round school calendar. She also liked that the district offered many resources, such as free laptops.
When the elementary school transitioned to the O'Shea Keleher Whole Child Academy this fall, Summerlot was confident that Matthew and his little brother, a first grader at the academy, would continue to receive a rigorous and challenging education from excellent and supportive teachers.
At the new academy, students like Matthew learn the benefits of leading a healthy mental and physical lifestyle from an early age to succeed in early college programs and in competitive academic fields. Matthew is part of a committee that will provide feedback on the academy’s first year.
“Matthew’s always wanting to go to school,” Summerlot said. “He was a little stressed when he started third grade, but he does super well. He's just kind of a perfectionist, but the school is definitely prepared. I don't have any concern about it academically. They do a great job.”
An aspiring architect, Matthew has jumped at the opportunity to express his creativity at every chance. After participating in a GT project exploring the science of cooking, Matthew has written recipes which he cooks at home.
Last November, he showcased his artwork at the district’s What’s Poppin Pop-Art Contest.
Earlier this year, he created and printed a 3D model of an animal that lived on a different planet as part of a science project exploring space. His animal had a seal’s tail, an ant’s legs, a giraffe’s neck, and a pillowcase body. Since learning how to use the 3D printer in class, Matthew has 3D printed animal figurines and miniature houses on his 3D printer at home and sold them to his neighbors.
“I think GT is a wonderful opportunity,” Summerlot said. “There are always things needed, especially for students who need to be challenged, but also just go beyond so they can be learning more in their interests beyond the classroom. Like he might be an entrepreneur! He made $70 in one day. I'm like, wow.”
Jesus Muñoz, a librarian at O'Shea Keleher, said the program introduced Matthew and the other GT students to 3D printing to give them an idea of the impact additive manufacturing will have on their futures.
"It was to get them into the idea that nowadays 3D printers are moving ahead so far actually to the fact that they are a much more reliable way of creating things on the fly," Muñoz said. "It was just one of the easiest ways to get them straight into the idea of engineering and creating something.”
Matthew said he enjoys school because his teachers, especially his math teacher Monica Valdez, use creative strategies, such as games to make learning fun. Outside of school, Matthew is learning to wield a hammer to help his parents build homes in Mexico during school breaks. He is looking forward to attending William D. Slider Middle School next year.
“(O’Shea Keleher) has a unique way of teaching the kids things, and it has so many different clubs that (students) could be interested in to help them find jobs and things in the future,” Matthew said.