Miamisburg City School District’s Jane Chance Elementary was recently awarded a $5,000 Classroom Grant from the Ohio STEM Learning Network, funded by Batelle. Envisioned as an opportunity for students to express themselves through creative learning and design, Jane Chance Elementary School will use this grant to establish a Makerspace in the school, providing additional STEM and problem-based learning opportunities for its students.
Battelle, an applied science and technology development company based in Columbus, funds this grant to help foster the growth of STEM learning in the state of Ohio. Through this partnership with the Ohio STEM Learning Network, more than 300 educators have been awarded grant funding.
Principal Dale Geyer, who co-wrote the grant with technology instructor Jessica Lay, believes it will “allow students to find their voice and value the communication of others around them, empowering a strong sense of belonging within the community.”
“When creating the Makerspace, we intentionally connected the students' social-emotional experiences with innovative learning outcomes,” said Lay. “The new lab will allow students to work at their own pace, have ownership in their learning, and build confidence through failures and mistakes.” Students using the Makerspace will learn to better manage their emotions when faced with adversity through cooperative teamwork activities.
“Our mission is to inspire our future generation to lead our community to its greatest potential,” said Miamisburg Superintendent Dr. Laura Blessing. “We are grateful for this opportunity to encourage innovation in our classrooms.”