McNary Heights Elementary students just received a big boost to their STEM education opportunities! GO-STEM, which stands for Greater Oregon Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, recently presented the school a grant of $13,700. McNary Principal Nicole Coyle said the grant has allowed the school to purchase some robust computer science teaching materials which can be used for all student levels, kindergarten through fifth grade.
Coyle used GO-STEM’s online portal to browse many different options for what to purchase. She purchased Bee-Bots, Dash Robots and Codrones, which offer multiple levels of learning and computer programming. For example, kindergartners may be asked to program the Bee-Bots to follow a pattern of colors, shapes or letters or estimate the distance between objects the Bee-Bot travels between.
Classes will be able to check out the materials for their classrooms. Coyle said GO-STEM provides links to lessons and helpful videos, so teachers should be able to spend less than one hour on preparation to use the STEM kits. McNary Heights hopes to use the materials during the fourth quarter, the last part of this school year. “Although fourth quarter is a little crazy with school activities, I think the materials offer a great opportunity for teachers and students to explore STEM learning until June,” Principal Coyle said.
The materials belong to the school, so can also be used for the STEAM Academy after-school program and possibly summer school in the district.
“McNary teachers and staff offer a big THANK YOU to GO-STEM for this generous grant and the learning materials we are excited to use!” said Coyle.
Clara Brownell Middle School and Umatilla High School also received GO-STEM grants and will be purchasing materials at those schools.
According to their website, GO‐STEM is a regional partnership cultivating a community that values STEM learning, prepares youth for successful STEM careers, and builds pathways and pipelines to meet workforce needs. Learn more at https://go-stem.org/.