$20,000 gift will expand STEM program in area schools

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, December 19, 2013

The Hall Technology Initiative was created to help students get an industry-specific education even if they lack the financial resources to do so. Now a donation from the Initiative will give a growing number of students the chance to take part in a rigorous science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program.

Students in grades 6 through 12 learn a foundation for college and their careers in a high-tech, high-skill economy through the program called Project Lead The Way coordinated by in Kalamazoo RESA's Education for Employment.

The program currently is offered to 500 students at Schoolcraft and Portage Central middle schools and Vicksburg High School. With a $20,000 donation from the Hall Technology Initiative it is hoped Project Lead The Way will be available in most of the county’s 14 middle and 11 high schools by the 2015-16 school year.

The Hall Technology Initiative’s gift is the largest one-time local donation to Project Lead The Way so far. The Initiative gave another $5,000 earlier this year. Nine local manufacturers have donated a total of more than $50,000 to the effort.

The Hall Technology Initiative, established by the late Richard and Thelma Hall, funds Kalamazoo-area academic and training programs that focus on manufacturing, technology and the industrial arts.

"One way we can help serve area manufacturers as well as individuals is by supporting better and more innovative ways of teaching core skills," says Natalie Valentine, president of the Initiative. "This program introduces an all-inclusive approach to learning and understanding math, science and engineering. It not only boosts students’ employability, but also helps create the skilled workforce that’s so critical to the economic future of Kalamazoo County."

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Cathie Schau, Kalamazoo RESA