The WINGS Educational Foundation awarded its STEAM Collaborative WINGS Grant on Wednesday Aug. 14, during the annual School District of Washington Back-to-School staff program.
The grant for $10,000 was awarded to fund the development of a robotics program in the School District of Washington.
Kyle Ellrich, math instructor at Washington High School, was the lead applicant in submitting a grant proposing a collaborative after-school program to allow students at Washington High School, and eventually Washington Middle School, the opportunity participate in a robotics program.
The program is entitled,” Coding With Robotos.”
The Robotics Program will allow students who are interested in the STEM fields to gain first-hand knowledge and skills. Students will work as a team to design, build and program a robot for competition. During the process, students will develop and use skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, innovation, collaboration and sportsmanship.
The WINGS Educational Foundation and the School District of Washington collaborate to provide funds to inspire educators to implement innovative learning experiences that include rigorous critical thinking and problem-solving activities in the areas of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM) that would, without additional funding support, be unachievable.
The grant is offered to educators based on the evidence that students learn through a multitude of modalities. It is through varied experiences that students begin to understand their own learning, their design capabilities, create new technology and make new discoveries. Through this grant, students will be given opportunities to unlock their imagination and inspiration, their uniqueness, and their creative talents.
STEAM Grant Awarded
The WINGS Educational Foundation awarded its STEAM Collaborative Grant. The grant for $10,000 was awarded to Washington High School math teacher Kyle Ellrich for his project entitled, “Coding With Robots.” Pictured from left are Amy Oesterly of WINGS, WHS math teachers Kyle Ellrich and Melissa Mauchenheimer, and Casey Zastrow and Dawn Kitchell of WINGS.