Newark's Par Excellence Academy awarded grants to expand STEM learning

From Staff Reports
·3 min read
Fifth and sixth grade students at Par Excellence STEM Academy collaborate on a block coding activity as part of their daily STEM special. This fall, Par was awarded two grants from Battelle and the Ohio STEM Learning Network to support coding, robotics, and innovation as part of the school’s STEM for All initiative.
Fifth and sixth grade students at Par Excellence STEM Academy collaborate on a block coding activity as part of their daily STEM special. This fall, Par was awarded two grants from Battelle and the Ohio STEM Learning Network to support coding, robotics, and innovation as part of the school’s STEM for All initiative.

NEWARK – Par Excellence STEM Academy was recently awarded two $5,000 grants to expand science, technology, engineering and math learning projects through Ohio STEM Learning Network's Classroom Grant Program.

The school’s grants, funded by Battelle, are two of 233 issued this fall to create sustainable, STEM learning projects.

The first project, spearheaded by Allison Shardell, coordinator of the student services and STEM departments at Par Excellence, brings 3D printing and robotics to the school’s special education classroom. Through her STEM for All initiative at Par, Shardell’s goal is to create inclusive and authentic STEM opportunities to students who might otherwise not have that access.

The grant provided a 3D printer, a classroom set of 3D printing pens, 12 Ozobot robots for coding and a Lego Spike kit for the multigrade special education classroom.

“It is important to me and to Par that all students have access to the skills necessary to succeed in 21st century STEM careers. We strongly believe that barriers to a high-quality STEM education are meant to be smashed and that’s what we are doing with our STEM for All initiative," Shardell said in a news release.

The second project, led by DeAndra Harrison, director of Par Excellence STEM Academy’s After School program, provides equipment and materials to create an expanded Makerspace and STEM learning lab. The goal is to not only provide students with a space to innovate and create through design challenges but also to be a place where students can design prototypes and solutions to real-world problems through their classroom project-based learning opportunities.

In total, 161 public schools join Par Excellence STEM Academy in winning the award. The program reached students in one of every seven school districts (130) across 60 Ohio counties.

“Every student should have access to the kind of quality STEM education that drives opportunity for families and leads to new jobs in their local communities” said Kelly Gaier Evans, director of the Ohio STEM Learning Network. “This program connects champions of STEM in local communities to a broad and deep network of STEM schools, STEM resources, and peer-educators.”

The grant program fosters the growth of the Ohio STEM Learning Network as a public-private partnership between Battelle and the State of Ohio. Ensuring all students develop the skills to be successful in science, technology, engineering, and math fields is Battelle’s top philanthropic priority.

“Battelle is proud to invest in expanding the reach of the Ohio STEM Learning Network, the state’s primary vehicle for advancing STEM across Ohio,” said Wes Hall, vice president of Philanthropy & Education. “These grants empower educators in all corners of the state to shape the next generation of solvers.”

“We are very grateful to Battelle and to the Ohio STEM Learning Network,” Shardell said. “Their support helps ensure that not only is learning fun everyday at Par, but that our students have access to the highest quality STEM education to prepare them for their future careers.”

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark's Par Excellence Academy awarded grants to expand STEM learning