Spring-Ford Schools Receive $35,000 STEM Grant

Ram QUEST teacher Zach Laurie guides students as they work together to build a class project.

 Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Spring-Ford Area School District.

The Spring-Ford Area School District was recently selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to receive a $35,000 grant through the PAsmart Program to grow the current Ram QUEST program in grades 1 through 6. 

RAM Quest is a class where students engage in authentic learning experiences in which they have to think critically and creatively to solve problems, to inquire, and to explore.

PAsmart is built on the recommendations of Governor Wolf's Middle-Class Task Force, comprised of business, labor, education, and workforce development leaders. 

In response to the task force's findings, the governor secured $30 million to strategically invest in education and workforce development with competitive grants to enhance the skills of Pennsylvania residents. These competitive grants will expand classroom instruction and professional development in the fast-growing fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and computer science.

Heidi Rochlin, Math and Science Curriculum Supervisor, completed the grant application for the district. 

"Grant applications can often be a daunting task, but I really enjoyed this process. I looked at it as an opportunity to focus on our strengths and identify how and where we can grow," Rochlin said. "Our STEM education is already quite impressive, and now we have additional resources to provide more opportunities for our students. Our targeted grant of $35,000 will be structured so that our Ram QUEST team can experience new and innovative training and materials in order to further implement STEM learning in their classrooms."