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The Brevard Schools Foundation has awarded over $50,000 in “Bright Ideas” classroom grants that will fund innovative, hands-on projects for Space Coast classrooms, including 3D printing, robotics, computer coding, financial literacy, marine science, art, music, reading and more.
Altogether, 51 teachers will receive grants from $500-$1,500, according to a Brevard Schools Foundation press release.
“Teachers typically spend between $500-$1,000 out of their own pocket for classroom supplies,” foundation president Janice Kershaw said in the release. “Without additional support, it is challenging for teachers to find ways to implement experiential learning that will engage students at the highest levels. As students returned to in-person learning this year, teachers needed ways to reengage and inspire students in their classrooms.”
The grants mean that Erin Rice, a teacher at Tropical Elementary School, gets a $500 grant to purchase Ozobots — small, orb-like robots that will provide a hands-on way for students to learn coding.
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Jessica Davis, a teacher at Viera Elementary School, can purchase a 3D printer with $1,500 provided by the Viera Woman’s Club. The school had been relying on printers provided by a former teacher who left the district.
Teacher Erin Davis accepts a $1,500 grant from the Brevard Public Schools foundation to purchase a 3D printer.
“When she left the school, we lost our ability to use a 3D printer,” Davis said in a foundation press release. “This grant will help our students create their own inventions as part of their Inventions Unit.”
The Bright Ideas Classroom Grant program is funded by proceeds from the sale of “Support Education” specialty license tags, corporate grants, community sponsorships and through a School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program offered by the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations through an appropriation from the Florida Legislature.
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Additional sponsors include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Truist Financial Corp, Merritt Island Rotary, the Viera Women’s Club and the Wyland Foundation.
Anyone who wishes to fund future Bright Ideas grants can contact the Brevard Schools Foundation at 321-633-1000, ext. 11756.
Bailey Gallion is the education reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallion at 321-242-3786 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: ‘Bright Ideas’ grants fund innovative Brevard County classroom projects
Source: https://news.yahoo.com/bright-ideas-grants-fund-tiny-150013729.html
