Grant will greatly enhance STEAM education at all levels in the Lawrence Township school district
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Corp. awarded a grant for $31,896 to the Lawrence Township Education Foundation to support STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) education in the Lawrence Township Public Schools.
Karen Faiman, the executive director of the Lawrence Township Education Foundation, presented the grant to school district officials at the Lawrence Township Public Schools Board of Education’s July 12 meeting.
“Human progress depends on innovation and on people coming up with innovative ideas to improve life,” Faiman said.
“Societies must make sure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to become scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs,” she said.
It is essential to offer students the best STEAM educational framework possible, she said. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Corp. grant will greatly enhance STEAM education at all levels in the Lawrence Township school district.
The grant has three distinct parts, Faiman said. It includes LEGO kits, Harkness-style dry-erase tables and a STEAM guest speaker. Harkness-style tables encourage students to actively participate in learning.
The grant provides money to purchase Computer Science LEGO Education STEAM kits for children in grades pre-K to sixth grade, Faiman said. The LEGO kits are fun and encourage children’s curiosity.
The kits are easily integrated into the class and science curriculum, she said. It offers students hands-on experience in STEAM. It allows them to experiment and test ideas.
The Harkness-style dry-erase tables for high school math classes encourage student discussion and collaboration, Faiman said. It encourages student engagement and learning. The students sit around the table and the teacher acts as a facilitator.
Faiman said the third part of the grant provides money to bring in speaker Kantis Simmons. She described Simmons as a leading global STEM expert, motivational speaker and school success strategist.
“Simmons will ignite the spark of curiosity and passion in students through keynote addresses to the entire student population at the Lawrence Middle School and Lawrence High School,” she said.
The grant will spark enthusiasm and help to teach students to think critically, problem solve and use their creativity – skills that are vital for many high-paying jobs of tomorrow, she said. It is hoped that this will spark excitement in learning STEAM subjects and guide students toward rewarding careers.
Faiman said there were nearly 10 million workers in STEAM occupations in 2021, and the total is expected to grow by almost 11% by 2031. It is more than twice as fast than the total for all occupations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, she said.
The Lawrence Township Education Foundation has funded more than 1,100 programs in the school district since 1992. Grants have totaled nearly $4.5 million.
The nonprofit foundation raises money for grants from individuals, local businesses, corporations and other foundations to pay for grant requests from Lawrence Township school district teachers and administrators.