Tom Duenwald, principal of Sammamish High School, said he couldn’t be prouder of his faculty, staff and students, especially engineering and physics instructor Elayne Grueber.

Last year Grueber was named one of Symetra’s Heroes in the Classroom for her work in the school’s Engineering Projects in the Community (EPICS) program.

Grueber, along with Duenwald and the 15 other Puget Sound area schools with a teacher named a hero by the Bellevue-based financial services company attended a luncheon at CenturyLink Field.

During the celebration, Jim Pirak, Symetra’s senior vice president of corporate marketing and investor relations, and Mike Flood, Seattle Seahawks’ vice president of community relations and special projects, awarded Duenwald and Sammamish High School with its “MVP Award” and a $10,000 grant.

The money will be used to grow the school’s EPICS program and student’s interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

“EPICS is a unique program that provides students with an amazing learning opportunity,” Duenwald said. “They design, build and deliver real products to solve engineering-based problems that meet the needs of nonprofit organizations. The program’s goal is grow student interest and awareness of STEM professions, particularly in underrepresented female and minority student populations.”

The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates STEM occupations will grow 1.7 times faster than non-STEM occupations in the coming years, but there isn’t and won’t be enough college graduates to fill that need.

Duenwald said the money will go a long way in helping Sammamish graduates fill as much of that need as possible.