MUSKOGEE, Okla. -- Thousands of dollars in grant money is helping a Muskogee school get on the fast track for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) programs.
Schools in Muskogee push for students to get their hands dirty when it comes to STEAM.
"It makes them front runners for the jobs of tomorrow that aren’t even created yet," said Lauren Fort, STEAM Specialist at Pershing Elementary School.
A $55,000 grant through The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is bringing their lab new equipment like microscopes, iPads, and 3D printers.
"If you need tools for STEAM and you don’t have them you can draw a sketch of it, it can come up to life so you can use it," said Sean Carter, a student at Pershing Elementary.
The school has about 10 of the Google Expedition Goggles, but thanks to this grant they’ll get an additional 20, which means every student in the lab has the opportunity to take a trip to Paris, or the moon.
"We can use those to go to places we’ve never gone before," said Gracie McCoin, a student at Pershing Elementary.
This new technology and equipment allows the students to break out of the books, and gives teachers a break from buying supplies.
"A lot of it comes out of our own pockets so to be able to get $55,000 for technology, it’s going to open up so many opportunities for our kids to do some amazing, amazing things," said Fort.
Pershing Elementary is one of seven schools in the nation to receive this grant. Supplies include 30 swivel stools, a classroom STEAM table, a Google Expedition Goggle kit for 20 students, 15 microscopes, 10 iPads, iMac computers, five Nikon DSLR cameras, one 3D printer, and one Vex Robotics Classroom bundle.
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