THE DALLES — The Columbia Gorge STEM Hub recently announced the recipients for its 2024-2025 microgrants. This year, 20 educators and community partners across six counties and eight school districts were awarded grant funding to support STEM-related projects and initiatives throughout the Gorge.
The microgrants are estimated to impact more than 2,257 students and 190 teachers. Each winter, PreK-college teachers, administrators, out-of-school educators, and community organizations from the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub service area are invited to apply for a one-time microgrant funding request of up to $1,000.
Winning grant recipients demonstrated a commitment to equity, expanding access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) or STEAM (STEM plus Arts) education, cost-effectiveness, and the potential to create a lasting impact for local students. The STEM Hub’s mission is to ensure that all learners in the region are STEM literate and future-ready, and year after year, microgrants have proven to have a broad and lasting impact on our local communities. Teachers are continuously tasked with operating classrooms with a limited budget, and the supplemental funding provided by microgrants allows many beneficial STEM projects to take place. Microgrants help to ensure all students have equitable access to STEM education throughout the five-county region that includes Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler.
The STEM Hub’s microgrants are primarily supported by the Oregon Department of Education and the generosity of local donors including the Gorge Technology Alliance.
This year’s projects encompass a diverse range of initiatives, from expanding hands-on STEM experiences within the classroom to enhancing access to out-of-the-classroom STEM learning and promoting equitable access to STEM resources.
Ana Rivera, owner of Rivera’s Bilingual Preschool in The Dalles, received valuable support to enhance her PreK STEM programming, particularly through funding for field trips to local STEM centers. These trips will expose children to STEM professionals and, when combined with additional books and materials for her STEM curriculum, will enrich the classroom’s focus on three key topics: animals, plants, and the human body. This initiative aims to broaden students' exposure to STEM and expand their understanding of future career possibilities.
Janell Francisco, an administrator at Mitchell School, received support to establish a Lending Library of STEM materials, inspired by the STEM Hub’s Lending Library. This resource will be available to the community, school district families, and educators. “This initiative would be especially impactful for families facing economic barriers, helping to remove financial barriers and provide equitable access to high-quality STEM materials," said Francisco. "Teachers will also be able to reserve kits and equipment to enrich classroom learning, expanding hands-on STEM opportunities for students.”
Wesley Mitchell, a teacher at Dry Hollow Elementary School, was awarded a microgrant to continue a tradition of a field trip to OMSI for all fifth-grade students. He wrote in his application, “Last year, we found funding to take all fifth graders to OMSI! It was an amazing experience for our students! So many topics and concepts that students learned about and experimented with in the classroom came alive or were reviewed with the exhibits available at OMSI. We also were able to book a showing of 'Navajo Nights' in the planetarium that connected our astronomy unit to social studies concepts in Native American mythology/storytelling. This was a favorite of the students!”
Congratulations to all of this year’s STEM Microgrant recipients:
- 3D Printing Exploration: Ashley Macnab — Sherman County School District
- 3D Printing for Horticulture: Jaimie Carr — Hood River County School District
- Building Mitchell's Lending Library: Janell Francisco — Mitchell School District
- STEM in a Preschool Environment: Rebecca Lindley — North Wasco County School District
- Hands on Learning with Magnets: Elizabeth Murphy — Sunshine Kids Preschool
- Engineering Traps: Natalie Wilkins — Condon School District
- Stem Bins/Makerspace: Hannah Hammitt — Dufur School District
- CTE Sensory/Career Exploration Kits: Leona Egeland — Dufur School District
- Physical Science Materials for High School: Nancy Wilson — Dufur School District
- Bringing Cardboard to Life: Lauren Yaeger — Mt Hood Meadows Day Care
- Legos in the Library: Corinne Dichter — Hood River County School District
- Crime Lab Detectives: Dyani Moore — Hood River County School District
- Get Yourself out of the Doghouse! David Scharfenburg — Hood River County School District
- 5th Grade Field Trip to OMSI: Wesley Mitchell — Dry Hollow Elementary School (North Wasco County School District)
- Prototype Pro Challenge: Luke Vieira — Colonel Wright Elementary School (North Wasco County School District)
- Keep Your Eye on the Sky: Sandy Brown — Colonel Wright Elementary School (North Wasco County School District)
- It’s Alive! Life in Nature and the Community: Ana Rivera — Rivera's Bilingual Preschool
- VEX Robotics: Jamie Sowell — South Wasco County School District
- Tools for Tomorrow's Thinkers: Amy Rethwell - South Wasco County School District
- Secrets Program: Will Walters — Wishram School District
Housed within the Columbia Gorge Education Service District, the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub is a collective impact organization that partners with local schools, businesses, and non-profits to expand STEM opportunities for all students in the Columbia River Gorge. You can find out more about the STEM Hub, join the coalition, or donate to support similar grants, by visiting www.gorgeSTEM.org.
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