Mar 1, 2017 3 min read

JEFFERSON – Jefferson-Morgan schools will be implementing a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program next year thanks to a $90,000, three-year grant the district secured last week from Chevron Corp.

The money will provide for “Project Lead the Way,” a nonprofit organization that offers computer science and engineering learning opportunities for students of all grade levels.

High school Principal Joseph Orr said the district started looking into STEM grants when they discovered Chevron offered grants for “Project Lead the Way.”

“We are really looking to increase our students’ exposure to computer technology,” he said.

The program has levels for the elementary, middle and high schools.

The elementary level focuses on general engineering, computer science and bio-medical science, Orr said. The middle school level becomes more detailed in those areas while the high school level offers three courses in engineering design, civil engineering and architecture, and engineering design and development.

“The high school level is very career-focused in those specific courses,” Orr said.

The program offers students a hands-on project to go along with a topic they’re learning about and also gives them a real-life situation in which their project could come in handy, Orr said.

He gave an example that students learning about physics and motion, might be assigned to build a robot that could move an object from point A to point B.

“So, maybe the scenario is that you’re on the bomb squad of a police force and you have to safely move a bomb,” Orr said. “It’s a hands-on approach that the kids love to have.”

Orr said the grant will last the elementary and middle school levels for the first two years of the program and the high school level will get three years of programming out of that money.

“The school board saw the benefits of the program and they want to continue the project after the grant runs out,” Orr said. “That will be up to us to make room in our budget.”

Orr said the money needed to continue the program is not nearly as much as the startup costs. He also said there are other grants the district could apply for to continue the program.

The district has already selected teachers for the courses and will train them this spring and summer, Orr said.

“There’s been a big push at a variety of levels at the state to increase STEM learning in order to ensure that kids can be successful at postsecondary, college and in their careers,” he said. “We already have STEM programs as part of existing classes and AP courses, but we want something that can get to every kid at every level.”

Orr said the district found out last Friday they secured the $90,000 grant from Chevron. The money is part of the company’s Appalachia Partnership Initiative, a $20 million investment in the region’s STEM education. “We’re committed to enhancing STEM education programs aimed at preparing the next generation of leaders in engineering, manufacturing and energy careers,” said Lee Ann Wainwright, the STEM education team lead for Chevron’s Appalachian Mountain Business Unit.