In June, we announced a new educational technology grant program that awards $500 of STEM tools to one recipient every month. Our selection committee met last week and awarded the first grant to Melinda Pastuszak, a teacher at Chamberlayne Elementary School in Henrico, Va. Melinda is in the process of planning the launch of a new school STEAM program for her students this fall and will be putting her award to good use.

“I’m so grateful for Eduporium’s generosity and support as I build my program,” she said after being notified about being the recipient of our first grant award last week. “I can’t wait to get my STEAM classes going this fall.”

With her $500 award, Melinda decided to request a few different EdTech tools from the our store. Although everything on the store is eligible for grant recipients, she narrowed it down to a Squishy Circuits kit, the accompanying Dough Kit, and some Makey Makey kits.

Melinda already has some big plans for her new STEAM program at CES and she believes these STEAM tools will complement her goals perfectly. Her goal is to use the products in multiple science and social studies projects across various grade levels. Initial plans for her new program’s launch include students using Makey Makey and Squishy Circuits to build models that represent various concepts, like parts of a flower and historic figures, and allow them to see firsthand how conductors and insulators work.

“I know that my students are going to be so excited to use both Makey Makey and Squishy Circuits to explore and create in the classroom,” she said.

She also added that her excitement is due, in large part, to being able to use each of these tools in a cross-curricular way. She’s hoping to engage her students on deeper levels by giving them the tools to build interactive models of significant events from both American and world history. Ultimately, Melinda wants her students to see that coding is something that is applicable in a lot of different ways, especially as they prepare for their futures—and we definitely love where her head is at!

“They’re really going to be able to take ownership of their learning by incorporating the ideas of STEAM,” she said.

Melinda is entering a year of “STEAM firsts,” with her school system really making an effort to expand STEAM education by creating 15 new positions, including hers. She and her team will be working with each student in the school for at least 45 minutes per week and she’ll also contribute to writing curriculum and engaging her community. With the technology awarded to her as part of Eduporium’s grant program, Melinda believes she’s well on her way to making an impact on her students’ futures.

Our $500 technology grant program is open to all educators and we are currently accepting applications for the July award up until July 20. To learn more about the program and to submit an application, anybody who's interested can apply here. Also, you can download and fill out the Eduporium W9 form if needed.