The Highland Elementary and Middle Schools will be expanding their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM learning next fall with a couple of grants they’ve received.
Each building applied for and has received the STEM Scale-Up Program award from the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. The grant supports increasing the use of STEM opportunities in all areas of the curriculum. This funds literature materials, professional development for teachers, and tools such as GoPro cameras, hand tools, circuit materials, and robotics components. Highland also received an $11,455 Washington County Riverboat Foundation grant to develop their elementary makerspace.
Technology Integration Specialist Angie Alberts mentions how the Highland community has embraced STEM learning in the past year, “I think the fact that the Highland community after our STEM day had taken off and formed a committee within the community and formed a club after school for the kids to be able to experience more of the STEM kind of things, it’s just been an extremely positive experience for everybody, and I have a good feeling that the community’s pretty excited that we’re working really hard to get this developed in our schools.”
The Making STEM Connections programs will be implemented in the elementary and middle school buildings at the beginning of the next school year.