Press Release: Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez Announces STEM Funding for Beaver Dam Middle School for Coding Club

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 09/08/2023 07:00 AM CDT
Office of Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 8, 2023
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov
 
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez Announces STEM Funding for Beaver Dam Middle School for Coding Club
Beaver Dam to receive funding as part of the NLGA Lt. Governors’ STEM Scholarship Program 
MADISON — Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez today announced Beaver Dam Middle School has been awarded $500 to support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming this year. The grant was awarded through the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association (NLGA) Lt. Governor’s STEM Scholarship Program as part of a national call for applications for funding STEM programming and curriculum in schools. 

“Promoting and encouraging STEM activities in schools from a young age is critical to preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Lt. Gov. Rodriguez. “Beaver Dam’s activities in coding for middle schoolers can help foster a lifelong interest in computer science, engineering, mathematics, and more.”

Beaver Dam will receive NLGA funding to support extension activities for the Coding Club. Students will have the opportunity to participate in lessons that apply coding to high-interest areas, such as building codable robots and drones and coding through music. 

NLGA opened the application period for the STEM Scholarship Program in May 2023. The application process was competitive, with NLGA receiving 150 requests for STEM funding from schools in 19 states. Twelve schools in 12 states were awarded $500 - $1,000 for STEM-related expenses.

“As the seconds-in-command in state and territorial government, lieutenant governors are uniquely poised to lead on STEM education,” said NLGA Executive Director Julia Brossart. “By supporting STEM-related activities in schools across the country, we can encourage a long-term interest and passion in STEM education in America’s youth.”

The Scholarship Program is administered by NLGA, the nonpartisan, nonprofit association for the nation’s seconds-in-command, and sponsored by ACT, the education and career readiness nonprofit.

“While nearly half of ACT-tested high school graduates have considerable interest in STEM, fewer than 30 percent of all students go on to declare a STEM major in college. At the same time, we are seeing alarming declines in math scores nationwide,” said Janet Godwin, CEO of ACT. “Quality STEM education is critical for students to be successful in a globally competitive economy. As we continue our meaningful support of the NLGA Lt. Governors’ STEM Scholarship Program, we urgently support strong STEM education so that students can fulfill their potential equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in work and life.”

Public, private, and Tribal schools in the 50 states and five U.S. territories were invited to apply for funding to support STEM-related activities, programming, curriculum, equipment, and other expenses. Funding will be provided to all winning schools in early September.

Additional information on the STEM Scholarship Program can be found at https://nlga.us/strategies/nlga-state-strategies-in-stem/.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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