Minneapolis-St. Paul Post Grants for Educators

Our Educational Grant Committee would like to highly recommend the two projects below that fall within the SAME $6K budget for the 2022-2023 School.

• Dassel-Cokato Middle School, Cokato, MN – The school requested 16 Snap Circuits kits to introduce students to the concepts of engineering and technology through incorporation of science and mathematics. Students used Snap Circuits kits in teams working together to develop an understanding of electrical circuits, electronic exploration, and to complete challenges. Students will be introduced to the basic properties of electricity and electronics. They will learn the fundamentals behind circuitry and how circuits are used in the technological devices we use today. An overview of simple circuits, followed by paired students’ testing of the kits will provide insight into the types of circuits and compare the differing properties of series circuits and parallel circuits. In STEM classes in 5th grade students will begin investigation into electrical engineering and will continue developing their engineering skills through eighth grade.  The school was awarded $2,986.64 to support approximately 625 students in grades 5 through 8.  Post member Helen Walz is the SAME sponsormon this project.

• Moreland Arts and Health Sciences Magnet, West St. Paul, MN –  The school requested 10 Lego Education Spike Essential kits. The students received age-appropriate instruction in block coding. Students in grades K-2 use Scratch Jr, an app with simple icon block coding. In grade 3, students completed lessons on Code.org, which moves students to using word-block coding. Finally, in grade 4, students conducted simple projects using the full Scratch program, which is a web-based interface that allows for more open-ended projects. These programs encourage skills in computer-based logic, problem solving, critical thinking, persistence, and processing/language. Lego SPIKE takes coding concepts and skills and brings them to life by allowing students to encounter the power of hands-on projects. SPIKE pairs familiar Lego bricks with motors, light matrixes, color sensors, and an intelligent hub to bring it all together. The school was awarded $2,749.50 to support approximately 350 students in grades K through 4. Post member  Wade Carr is the SAME sponsor on this project.

• Normandy Park Education Center, Early Childhood, White Bear Lake, MN – This education center requested a grant to purchase two Fairy Tale Problem Solving STEM Kits and eight Ramps and Balls Exploration Kits. These kits were shared across multiple locations.  The Fairy Tale kit allows students to design a house that can’t be blown down, construct a bridge to keep goats safe from the troll and build a chair that Goldilocks cannot break.  With the Ramps and Balls kit, wooden ramps and balls of different sizes are used as students build, test and experiment.   The materials and resources support interactive experiences with questions related to mass, friction, speed, inclined planes, structural support, etc. Students ask questions and challenge themselves until a solution is found. The program was awarded $1,710.00 to support approximately 400 students at eight different schools for the pre-K level.  Post member Kevin Denn is the SAME sponsor on this project.  This application is focused on the pre-K levels (i.e.. 4 and 5 year old) which is technically outside of the K-12 grades of the Post Stem grant program.  However, practically it met the intent of the program.  This was demonstrated on the application which requested materials to support the MN Educational Science standards.

Saint Ambrose Catholic School, Woodbury, MN – The school was awarded $2,801.62 to support a project in which approximately 60 seventh and eighth grade students will benefit. The project uses robots to be used for simulating recovery efforts because of natural disasters. Specifically, students will look at how recovery teams use technology such as robots to find survivors, determine damage, and plan clean-up responses. The funds are being used to purchase Dash Robots and Bee Bots so that students can work in pairs to program and learn with this technology.

Sibley East Elementary School, Gaylord, MN – The school was awarded funds to purchase Engineering is Elementary curriculum activity kits. These are hands on engineering challenges that will enhance the engineering initiative within each grade level. The curriculum activity kits will give students the opportunity to design alarm circuits, bridges, windmills, and shelters. The estimated number of participating students is 462 elementary school students. The grant was for $2,411.

Dassel Cokato Middle School, Cokato, MN – The school was awarded funds to purchase 15 programmable BOLT robots and a Sphero self-guided course for the instructor. The BOLT robots will be used to complete a variety of coding challenges while utilizing math and science principles in the STEM classroom. Utilizing these robots and the challenges/opportunities they bring will open doors and provide experiences that students did not know were available. The estimated number of participating students is 214 middle school students. The grant was for $2,700.