For the past four years, the Economic Development Council of St. Charles County (EDC) has collaborated with local entrepreneur, STEM champion, and parent of Academy alums Randy Schilling, along with other sponsors, to award teachers in St. Charles County grants of up to $1,000 to fund STEM-related classroom materials.
This year, we are pleased to announce that the Academy is a recipient of a $1,000 grant!
Mrs. Cortney Pearce, Little Acorn and Lower School Science teacher applied for a grant to purchase LEGO Education BricQ Motion Essential Sets to enhance our current Primary and Lower School science curriculum. “The LEGO kits complement our current science and technology curriculum for these ages groups by using design and build engineering experiences and coding to plan projects,” explains Mrs. Pearce.
“The science curriculum for Primary-Fourth Class students supports STEM-based learning through child-centered inquiries. The students have opportunities to learn through hands-on and engaging activities,” she continues. “Our students love being given a challenge to build, a variety of materials to build with, and time to let their imaginations soar.”
Looking Ahead
The experiences and learning outcomes developed by using these kits will help build and strengthen skills in our youngest learners that are needed for our Middle School science program and extracurricular activities such as our new Engineering Club and Robotics Club. These building blocks can later be utilized in high school STEM programs and activities, possibly leading to more students interested in pursuing STEM degrees and career paths. Exposing Academy students at these young ages to these foundational STEM concepts is an important part of educational goals for our younger students.
