OUR MISSION

The Project Spark was started by Nihal Gill due to his passion for Robotics. Nihal grew up in the Central Valley and saw firsthand how underserved engineering-related fields were in the Central Valley, a market dominated by agriculture. Nihal started The Project Spark to help educate children on robotics and engineering as a way to get them interested in the field or just a way to spend a day learning something new.

PROJECT SPARK

The Project Spark was started by Nihal Gill due to his passion for Robotics. Nihal grew up in the Central Valley and saw firsthand how underserved engineering-related fields were in the Central Valley, a market dominated by agriculture. Nihal started The Project Spark to help educate children on robotics and engineering as a way to get them interested in the field or just a way to spend a day learning something new.

AUTOMATION

of U.S. Jobs have the potential
to be automated by 2035
0 %

INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)

devices in the world are
connected to the internet
0 Billion

LEARN ROBOTICS

guaranteed student engagement in
the field of learning robotics
0 %
My Portfolio

WARM COAT DRIVE

Turlock High student looks to give back during the cold months.

Nihal Gill, a junior at Turlock High, was inspired to give back to those in need one day when he was on his way to school and saw a man outside in need of a coat.

“My mind started to think about how many people were probably trying to survive through these winter months without a coat. I wanted to do something to help people stay warm during the dead, cold winters,” said Gill.

Gill is the founder of The Project Spark, a non-profit that provides free classes for kids in the Ceres community about STEM and robotics. They are partnering up with One Warm Coat, an organization that works to provide a free, warm coat to any person in need and raises awareness of the vital need for warm coats.

“We are excited about our upcoming One Warm Coat Drive and invite the community to participate and support our efforts. Because of the ongoing economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for coats this fall and winter will be greater than ever before.” said Gill, “One Warm Coat’s program provides free coats to people in need. All of the coats we collected will be distributed in our community and help our neighbors stay safe and warm this winter.”

Last year, more than 260,000 coats were distributed across North America to children and adults in need through One Warm Coat’s Coat Drive Program. Since 1992, One Warm Coat has worked with volunteers and sponsors to hold more than 40,000 coat drives, collecting nearly 7 million coats which have been distributed to people in need through a network of more than 1,000 nonprofit partners across all 50 states.

“We’re grateful for volunteer Coat Drive Ambassadors like Project Spark. It’s because of our incredible volunteers that so many people receive the gift of warmth each year. Shelter from the elements, like clean water, food and housing is a basic need. Thanks to Project Spark’s efforts, many people in this community will be warm this winter,” said President and CEO of One Warm Coat Beth Amodio.

STEM CLASS FOR GRADE-6

STEM class offered to sixth- through eighth-graders

Nihal Gill, the founder of Project Spark, comes back this spring with something a little different for the kids in the Ceres community. With the focus still on the field of STEM, Project Spark will introduce the process of Design Thinking to students in grades sixth through eighth at the Ceres Community Center.

The goal of Project Spark is to educate the younger generation in the five-step process of Design Thinking which helps children become better critical thinkers and problem solvers. Students will focus on skills needed to bring their imagination, creativity, and entrepreneurial ideas to the next level.

Project Spark is a non-profit, whose mission is to reach out to kids in underprivileged areas where STEM, robotics, or more critical thinking processes like Design Thinking are overlooked and yet highly valued in urban areas like the Bay Area. The monthly classes will include guest speakers from engineering and robotic industries along with hands-on projects, and supplies and materials for students to incorporate Design Thinking in resolving and problem-solving to produce the final product of STEM subjects. Students will learn to: empathize, define the problem, ideate by brainstorming, prototyping, and testing the final product.

Families may sign up for classes at the Ceres Community Center, 2701 Fourth Street, or on the city’s website at www.ci.ceres.ca.us and click on the Recreation icon. Classes will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, April 23, and May 12.

Resumes Classes for Kids

Project Spark​

Hands-on STEM-based activities and education

Nihal Gill, founder of Project Spark, is excited to open in-person STEM and Robotic classes once again for fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders at the Ceres Community Center.

Project Spark had resumed classes virtually during COVID-19 and is looking forward to providing opportunities to youngsters in person to experience hands-on STEM-based activities and education. The monthly class will include guest speakers from engineering and robotics industries along with hands-on projects that students will participate in.

STEM Classes for Grade 4-6

STEM Education

Innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking

Realizing that not all families can afford to send their kids to a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based class like he enjoyed, Turlock High freshman Nihal Gill will be offering free classes in Ceres starting in January.

Dubbed “Project Spark,” the classes will take place at the Ceres Community Center once a month for students in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Classes will focus on providing STEM education to elementary school students in Ceres, with an emphasis on robotics. The monthly class will include guest speakers from engineering and robotics industries along with hands on projects that students will participate in.

PROGRAM WAIVER FORM