2018 STEM CAPITAL GRANTS EXPAND STEM LEARNING SPACES
Washington STEM and OSPI are excited to announce the 2018 awardees for the STEM Capital Grants Program. The STEM Capital Grants Program provides school districts construction funds necessary to build or modernize STEM classroom spaces and labs. With up-to-date education spaces, students and instructors can engage in more effective teaching and learning that engages student imagination and creativity and allows districts to meet graduation requirements for lab science credits.
“The STEM Capital Grants Program provides students with opportunities to express their creativity and learn skills that will help them enter the workforce competitively,” said Chris Reykdal, Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “I am thankful the Legislature made this a priority, and I am pleased to have a strong partner in Washington STEM.”
The STEM Capital Grants Program is a capital program approved by the State Legislature, who appropriated $10 million in funding for the grants. OSPI, supported by Washington STEM, conducted a competitive process to determine which has been awarded to seven school districts across the state.
The seven school districts chosen were selected from fifteen submitted project proposals, with a total request of $22 million. The high demand from districts speaks to the need for this funding.
“Through the STEM Capital Grants program, we can update classrooms in schools serving students in some of our most historically underserved communities across Washington state, including rural areas and schools in low-income neighborhoods,” said Caroline King, CEO of Washington STEM. “A high-quality STEM education is key to lifelong learning and economic opportunity, and we’re honored to partner with OSPI and the Legislature to expand capacity for STEM teaching and learning.”
Below are the seven projects selected for funding:
Cheney High School, Cheney School District
East Region | Modernization/renovation of existing space | $1,921,652
Cheney will remodel a current science classroom at Cheney High School for expansion of basic science course and addition of biomedical science, renovate their sport medicine classroom, place equipment in three computer science classrooms, and furnish material science and metal fabrication classrooms. Cheney will also remodel current space to create a makerspace for teachers.
Everett High School, Everett School District
Puget Sound Region | Modernization/renovation of existing space | $1,923,340
Everett will continue to modernize Everett High School’s 100-year-old vocational building with a conversion of two classrooms into multipurpose wet labs, one classroom into an engineering/technical lab, and one classroom into a project-based learning lab. Additional modernization includes conversion of a storage room into a career advising center and renovation of restrooms.
Ilwaco High School, Ocean Beach School District
Southwest Region | Modernization/renovation of existing space | $714,730
Ocean Beach will renovate four classrooms into three modern science rooms at Ilwaco High School. The renovations will renovate classrooms from the 1970’s into modern learning spaces for students.
Kalama High School, Kalama School District
Southwest Region | Modernization/renovation of existing space and new construction/addition to existing education facility | $1,937,793
Kalama proposed two projects, both at Kalama High School, to build a STEM center and to convert a shop into a CTE/STEM Lab. The STEM center will allow the district to add physics and space science to the curriculum as well as support current student STEM interests. The CTE/STEM Lab expansion will provide high-demand CAD training and create cross-curricular connections to lab science and mathematics to meet local industry needs.
On Track Academy, Spokane School District
East Region | New construction/addition to existing education facility | $1,211,020
On Track Academy will build additional space to become a flexible makerspace for students. The space will include a design lab and a materials processing lab. In partnership with Northeast Community Center programs. the space is also intended to be available to the community during non-student hours.
R.A. Long High School, Longview School District
Southwest Region | Modernization/renovation of existing space | $1,060,500
Longview will modernize an unused, deteriorating woodshop into a STEM Lab to increase science offerings at R.A. Long High School. Multiple basic science courses will be offered as well as STEM courses including mechatronics, robotics, manufacturing, information technology, and computer science.
South Kitsap High School, South Kitsap School District
Puget Sound Region | Modernization/renovation of existing space | $1,230,965
South Kitsap will modernize and renovate fifteen STEM classrooms to meet safety, graduation, and ADA requirements at South Kitsap High School. Nine science STEM classrooms labs and six CTE/STEM classrooms will be renovated to ensure instructional STEM content at an equitable level.
For media inquiries please contact Jesse Gilliam at jesse@washingtonstem.org.