A Dad & His Son

(And Some Really Cool Robot Parts)

A smiling man and boy taking a selfie outdoors near a soccer field with goalposts and players in the background on a sunny day.

Central Coast STEM Academy was founded by Jon-Paul Ewing, a locally raised science teacher dedicated to giving students meaningful, hands-on experiences in science and engineering.

Jon-Paul is a graduate of Cal Poly (Biological Sciences and Ecology & Systematic Biology). He is a proud Bearcat alumnus and loves teaching in his hometown. Beyond the classroom, JP is involved in the local community. He volunteers as the Cubmaster for the local Cub Scout Pack (92), helping younger students develop curiosity, confidence, and practical skills through outdoor learning and hands-on activities.

A group of children and teenagers are gathered outdoors in a semicircle on the grass, listening to a man in a white lab coat who is kneeling with a bottle of soda. The setting is in front of a beige building with a plaque, on a sunny day with clear blue skies and trees with autumn leaves.

Jon-Paul spent 20 years as a teacher at Paso Robles High School, where he was the science department chair for nearly a decade and was a co-founder of the Field Studies Collaborative (FSC), a program designed to give high school students authentic field research experiences alongside working scientists.

Through this program, he developed two original courses: The Marine Intertidal Monitoring Project, where students conduct ecological field surveys along the Central Coast, and the Astrometry Field Research Seminar, where students use astronomical observation techniques to study and measure double stars. JP continues to support FSC trips to Santa Cruz Island doing botanical research.

Three years ago, JP voluntarily transferred to Georgia Brown Dual Immersion to help build out their science program as they expanded to a K-8 school. He came alongside the Math Olympiad team, seeing students light up when exposed to challenging math problems. Last year he voluntarily started an afterschool robotics program. The teams were met with great success, dominating the local competitions in Santa Maria and earning a spot to the Southern California Regional Championships.

Through the Central Coast STEM Academy, Jon-Paul hopes to extend these same kinds of engaging learning opportunities to younger students, encouraging a lifelong interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.

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