TEMPLE, Texas — Temple Independent School District’s Travis Science Academy has received a $10,000 grant from Project Lead The Way (PLTW) to help bolster STEM-related classes and programs at the campus.
Travis Science Academy’s $10,000 grant is a gateway grant from PLTW and its partner, Austin-based National Instruments, to help fund existing programs primarily at schools with underrepresented populations. The grant money will help fund the purchase of equipment in the school’s robotics, computer science, and programming and design classes. The school is planning to purchase additional iPads and android devices to assist students as they build robotic projects, create apps, and work with programming and computing. Other items that might be purchased range from additional microchips to microphones and speakers to other hardware needed for those courses. Maribeth Brown is the lead Project Lead The Way teacher at Travis, and she says the money can help provide new and expanded opportunities for the students in the four different PLTW programs already offered on campus.
“I’ve been working with Project Lead the Way for seven years and it has been such a great experience,” said Brown. “This is all equipment for the students, and we want to make engaging experiences for all of the students involved. We also want to create those engaging experiences for our staff. No matter what our students plan to do, even if they don’t go into a STEM-related field, they are learning problem-solving, communication, and collaboration, and those skills are going to help them regardless of what their future plans might be.”
Brown says the grant money will also give students more hands-on equipment and instant feedback with the updated devices. She is also hopeful that the grant can aid in expanding programs offered at Travis by helping pay for professional development, training, and certification for other staff members, in addition to bolstering the already existing offerings.
“I am so proud of Mrs. Brown and her efforts and passion for our students,” said Dr. Kasey Blomquist, principal of Travis Science Academy. “She wants what is best for all of our students and it is amazing to see the growth that can happen with this grant money. We have started adding STEM pieces to some of our other programs and events, and I am so proud of her efforts to help us expand that here at Travis Science Academy.”
Brown teaches approximately one hundred students across her robotics and computer science classes this year. You can learn more about Project Lead The Way at: Where STEM Curriculum Meets Career Readiness | PLTW.