Verizon awards STEM grants to four R.I. schools

PROVIDENCE – Four Rhode Island public schools received $20,000 each to improve student achievement in science, technology, engineering and math through the Verizon Innovate Learning Grants program.
The schools are among 80 public schools across the country that received a $20,000 grant as part of Verizon’s investment to stimulate student interest and achievement in science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM.
The Rhode Island grant recipients are:

  • Highlander Charter School, Providence, which will use Seaperch, a robotics program that uses underwater technology, to encourage students to engage in STEM subjects.
  • James R.D. Oldham Elementary School, East Providence; Oldham is the first elementary school in East Providence that will introduce STEM to its students. Students will learn about engineering and use technology through project-based learning, and STEM professionals will provide career awareness and instruction to all students in kindergarten through grade 5.
  • Providence Career & Technical Academy; Through the “Made to Order: A Process for Exploring Engineering” program, Providence Technical & Career Academy will use the process of product realization from concept to market to explore engineering for high school students. Students will develop a product using computer-aided design, MindTools and 3-D printing. The goal is to provide pre-engineering students with an understanding of what it takes to design, create and bring a product to market.
  • The Learning Community Charter School, Central Falls. The Learning Community Charter School is partnering with Brown University and NASA to develop a computer science curriculum for middle grade students that will enable students to create their own mobile applications.

Public elementary, middle and high schools in which at least 70 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch were eligible to apply for a Verizon Innovate Learning Grant. This was the first year the grants were given, according to a Verizon spokesman, who said the company has awarded grants for teacher training on mobile devices in the recent past.
“We created this program to support the integration of innovative STEM initiatives in underserved schools across the country, and we are pleased to recognize the schools that have been chosen to receive the award,” Justina Nixon-Saintil, education program director for the Verizon Foundation, said in a statement. “The proposal submitted by the Rhode Island schools exemplifies the types of initiatives that will provide exposure to students around STEM fields, and also offer students hands-on, project-based learning opportunities that will help increase their interest and achievement in STEM.”
The significant demand for STEM-educated workers has been well documented in recent years, according to information from Verizon.
The Verizon Innovate Learning Grants program is part of Verizon’s commitment to the Obama administration’s ConnectED initiative, under which Verizon is providing up to $100 million in cash and in-kind contributions to drive student achievement, especially in STEM subjects.

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