Eric Bennett teaches students how to design, build, and solve problems at Shadow Ridge High School. Outside the classroom, he’s spent years doing the same thing in pursuit of a very different target.
Bennett is a five-time Paralympian who competes in archery for Team USA. He draws his bowstring using a quill held between his teeth, a technique he developed after losing his right arm at 15 in a crash caused by a drunk driver.
He eventually returned to the sport he loved and became a two-time world champion.
That determination carries into his work as an engineering and physics teacher. Bennett has helped Shadow Ridge students win engineering competitions across Arizona and advocated for advanced technology in the classroom, including 3D printers and laser cutters.
The equipment gives students more opportunities to turn their ideas into working projects — while learning how to experiment, troubleshoot, and find solutions.
For Bennett, the goal is bigger than teaching students how things work. He’s showing them what’s possible when they’re willing to keep trying and approach challenges from a different angle.
Watch the full story in the video player above.
Uplifting Arizona
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