The three-year grant is supported by Astellas USA Foundation’s new Rural Spark Project.
WALNUT — Stark County High School announced it will offer a new science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-based education program to students through a grant received from Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science.
The three-year grant is supported by Astellas USA Foundation’s new Rural Spark Project, a pilot program in Illinois seeking to change STEM education in underserved rural middle and high schools. By providing program resources such as turn-key curriculum, teacher training and integration programming, the Rural Spark Project aims to give students the collaborative learning skills needed to actively contribute to their communities and pursue STEM careers.
Bill Lamb, Principal Stark County High School said, "Stark County High School is thrilled to receive the $35,000 grant from Project Lead The Way and Astellas USA Foundation to expand and support our engineering & technology classes. We thank Dr. Todd Derham for his efforts in winning this PLTW grant. He has been a driving force in recognizing effective and motivating strategies for his Industrial Technology classes, and this grant is a great way to help the District offer real-world skills for our student's college and career goals.”
“Research shows rural schools have difficulty retaining science and math teachers, creating an education gap in STEM learning,” said Moyra Knight, Astellas USA Foundation president. “To fill this void, we launched the Rural Spark Project TM to help teachers inspire the next generation through hands-on learning and curriculum. We aim to inspire teachers and students alike.”
Beginning this school year, Stark County High School will begin offering courses in the PLTW Engineering program. The program engages students in collaborative, real-life activities like working with a client to design a home, using a flight simulator to learn basic pilot skills, or exploring algae as a biofuel source. As students work together to imagine and design solutions to local and global challenges, they test their limits and question what’s possible. And by pushing themselves to rework and refine their projects, PLTW Engineering students learn that both failure and perseverance are key to learning and innovation.
“Project Lead The Way is committed to preparing our nation’s next generation of problem–solvers and innovators to thrive in our evolving world,” said PLTW President and CEO Vince Bertram. “We are proud to partner with Astellas USA Foundation to ensure that students and teachers in Illinois’ rural communities have equal access to high-quality STEM education as their urban and suburban peers.”
The PLTW grant application process was highly competitive. Stark County High School funds from the grant will support the implementation of PLTW’s high school Engineering program, including teacher professional development and the purchase of materials and equipment that will be used in the hands-on, activity-, project-, and problem-based courses.
For more information on Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org or contact Jennifer Erbacher, PLTW senior director of media and public relations, at email@example.com or Dr. Todd R. Derham at firstname.lastname@example.org
Project Lead The Way is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers across the U.S. Through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science, K-12 students learn problem-solving strategies, critical and creative thinking, and how to communicate and collaborate. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in an evolving world.
More than 10,000 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information on Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org.
Astellas USA Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation that awards grants to support charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes. To learn more about Astellas USA Foundation, please visit: www.astellasusafoundation.org; or Facebook at www.facebook.com/AstellasFoundation.