Sprout Grant Funds EnergyMakers Middle School Program
A group of students in Morgantown will be the first to benefit from an EnergyMakers Middle School Program funded by a $15,000 Remake Learning grant from The Sprout Fund.
Made possible through the leading support of the Grable Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the grant from Sprout was awarded to the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. on behalf of the project partners--the FSU School of Education, Health and Human Performance, the FSU Professional Development Schools Partnership and TEKids.
The EnergyMakers Middle School Program (EMMSP) will promote responsible fossil fuel use and environmental stewardship through the development of microprocessor air quality monitors that upload data to a public web site. Using community-based participatory research methods, students will collect and analyze data, identify problems and design solutions related to air quality. The funding will support the design and launch of the first EMMSP program in a portfolio of classes designed for a new middle school Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) immersion learning track called STEAMIT. Mountaineer Middle School in Morgantown will participate in the pilot program. The three MMS participating teachers are Robyn Addie, Marie Alan and Joy Kiehl. They hope to implement the program in their classrooms in April.
“At Mountaineer Middle School, the EnergyMakers curriculum is an integral part of what we are doing there to include all students in STEM and STEAM opportunities,” Addie said.
TEKids of Morgantown is an organization that has been creating and providing afterschool, summer and weekend Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) -related programs for K-12 students in North Central West Virginia since 2012. Sara Fieldson, Director of Community Outreach for TEKids, was lead author on the grant and will serve as project director.
“It’s a change for TEKids. Our programs used to take place only after school. Thanks to the grant from The Sprout Fund, our reach for children is greater and now we are able to enter into Mountaineer Middle School for this pilot program. The grant has helped our program become more effective now that we're able to provide classroom teachers with professional development sessions and to equip students with supplies they need,” Fieldson said.
Dr. Denise Lindstrom and Dr. Jeremy Price, FSU faculty members, will serve as curricular and evaluation consultants for the project, as well as provide support in building a learning community among the teachers involved.
“We’re trying to develop curriculum at the middle school level that promotes connected learning, getting students connected with experts and mentors in the community to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) fields,” said Dr. Denise Lindstrom, Assistant Professor of Education at FSU. “One thing that makes this project different is that we hope to capture the youth voice, to use digital and social media to allow youth to get their voices heard in the community. Students will be creating a public service announcement to raise awareness of air quality and to share their solutions to the challenges faced.”
The EMMSP shares its focus on energy with the EnergyMakers program, a STEM education project supported by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation that initially focuses on third-through fifth-grade students and educators in the Fairmont State Professional Development Schools Partnership and the schools of Ohio County.
On Jan. 11 and 12, teachers participating in the EMMSP and the Benedum Foundation funded EnergyMakers program had a professional development opportunity involving talking with scientists at the National Energy Technology Laboratory of the Department of Energy in Morgantown about fossil fuel production and alternative energy.
“One of the things I have found exciting is that we are learning so much as teachers by participating in this pilot project,” said Kiehl, a STEAMIT MMS teacher.
The mission of the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc., is to support, through ethical stewardship, the mission of Fairmont State University. The Foundation will identify, establish and cultivate meaningful relationships with Fairmont State alumni, as well as potential and existing funding constituencies to meet contributor needs while securing funds and supporters for priority objectives identified by the Board of Governors. For more information, visit www.fsufoundation.org.
The mission of Fairmont State University is to provide opportunities for individuals to achieve their professional and personal goals and discover roles for responsible citizenship that promote the common good. In its overarching desire to help transform lives, Fairmont State University values scholarship, opportunity, achievement and responsibility. For more information about the School of Education, Health and Human Performance, visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu/schoolofeducation/.
About the photo:
Pictured from left to right are Sara Fieldson of TEKids and Robyn Addie and Joy Kiehl of Mountaineer Middle School.
EnergyMakersSchool of Education, Health and Human PerformanceSprout GrantDenise LindstromJeremy PriceTEKidsSara FieldsonRobyn AddieJoy KiehlMountaineer Middle School
