PPG Foundation, AdoptAClassroom.org create new opportunities for STEM exploration

Published : 5-May-2023

At McNair Junior High in Huntsville, Alabama, an empty classroom became an interactive makerspace with a 3D printer and virtual reality equipment. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Perry High School students play the role of CSI with new forensic science equipment. Meanwhile at Camp Creek Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia, students are using math and science to create solutions to local issues like homelessness. 

All of these science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) educational opportunities were created when the PPG Foundation teamed up with AdoptAClassroom.org for the second year in a row to equip teachers and 10 schools in PPG communities with the tools they need to provide their students with an understanding of, and exposure to, the possibilities in STEM. 

In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, May 8-12, 2023, the grants enabled students to experience newly implemented school-wide transformative STEM education programs.

“I am beyond grateful to have the support of the PPG Foundation,” said lead STEAM teacher at Schiller STEAM Academy, Alaina.

Alaina taught math for almost 17 years before transitioning to STEAM, another learning avenue for many students.

“To keep a STEAM program relevant and meaningful, you need to be able to find the latest and greatest tools and evolve,” said Davis. “The PPG Foundation has given me and my students that opportunity.”  

The PPG Foundation is proud to support students and teachers by offering educators additional teacher training opportunities, the provision of school supplies, a sense of encouragement through these grants, and more.

Read on to learn about how each school used their grant to advance their students’ learning.

  • Fulton County School System (East Point, Georgia)
    • Benjamin Banneker High School: The funding helped implement a STEM project involving designing and building a greenhouse on campus, as the 10th graders focused on a sustainable water project.
    • Camp Creek Middle School: They used the grant to build a Media Center Maker/Innovator Lab for STEM-focused projects where students can research, collaborate and find innovative ways to address these issues.
  • Guilford County Schools (Greensboro, North Carolina)
    • Southern Guilford High School: Robotics classes, a media center, and art all benefited across the student body using new equipment such as 3D printers, chemicals/bio specimens for dissections, and a range of STEM supplies.
    • Jackson Middle School: They are using the funding to enhance their Project Lead the Way STEM program, and are purchasing lab supplies, specimens for dissection, math tools, and additional equipment for STEM labs in their afterschool clubs.
  • Huntsville City School District (Huntsville, Alabama)
    • McNair Junior High School: The grant was used to build a STEM makerspace in the school. Funding was used to purchase supplies for six maker stations, including 3D filaments, textiles, a laser cutting machine, tools for virtual reality, and more.
    • Columbia High School: Funding was used to purchase supplies for the school’s new Rocketry Club, which will be open to all students. This program will expose students to engineering and design skills, which will benefit their college and career pathways.
  • Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District (Oak Creek, Wisconsin) 
    • Oak Creek West Middle School: The funding was spent on the creation of a makerspace and a laser engraver to enhance their Tech Ed program. All 515 students at the school will have access to the makerspace, thus enhancing their technical abilities, empowering them to be leaders within engineering and advancing their creative minds.
    • Edgewood Elementary: Funding was used to introduce creative STEM learning across the school, and they are creating an “exploration day” focused on math, science, and engineering to introduce basic STEM concepts, and a “build day” to design and create a school garden, using the grant to purchase the supplies to bring those programs to life.
  • Pittsburgh Public Schools (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
    • Schiller STEAM Academy: The grant was used for a range of STEM-related materials to elevate their programs, including 3D resin printers, vinyl cutting tools, color printers, STEM kits, and more.
    • Perry Traditional Academy: They purchased a variety of STEM-related tools to benefit 100+ students across their school (nearly 1/3 of their total population). Teachers obtained crafting materials and storage cabinets so students can make posters and models according to the Next Generation Science Standards, and also purchased new labs for AP chemistry, and forensics, anatomy models and slides for anatomy and physiology class, and engineering games and building tools for STEAM.