The McMinnville School District has been awarded a $2.4 million grant for a five-year project, “STEAM Ahead: Makerspaces are Creative Places.”
The project will be implemented in all district schools and serve preschool through 12th grade students with before- and after-school programs featuring STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Arts) and CTE (Career Technical Education) makerspaces; STEAM-infused interventions in English/language arts (ELA), math, and science; summer transition camps; and family engagement and support services.
Teaching and learning in the STEAM Ahead project will seamlessly align with school day curriculum, instruction and assessment. Parent and family academic engagement activities will include thematically based, evening activities and makerspaces, as well as family support services.
Elementary students will experience STEAM-based academic tutoring and enrichment, with emphasis on robotics, coding and learning core content through the arts (fine- and industrial-arts). Students in 6th through 12th grades will participate in after-school and summer STEAM/CTE seminars.
Family support services will target the district’s highest needs students and families including trauma-informed counseling and support services for students and families recovering from adverse childhood experiences and personalized support to foster social and emotional development and pro-academic behaviors.
The project features partnerships that will bolster the offerings with staffing, professional development and services, and other resources. Partners include the City of McMinnville’s Kids on the Block program, the Yamhill County Cultural Coalition, Oregon State University Extension Services, Solid Form Fabrication, and Lutheran Community Services.
The Oregon Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant will run through 2023.
July 20, 2018