Education group funds two high-tech grants

SPARTA — Two new grants totaling over $16,000.00 were approved at the Sparta Education Foundation’s November Board Meeting held at the Mohawk Avenue School. This round of grants will enrich the educational technology experience for students at Helen Morgan School and Sparta Middle School.
“These new grants assure that our students will be equipped with 21st century skills like coding and robotics, which are becoming an integral part of society and the careers of tomorrow,” said Sparta Education Foundation President Danielle Dykstra. “Additionally, the grants offer our students opportunities to develop a strong foundation of skill sets in communication, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.”
The two recently-approved grants include:
Two Creative Construction Pack Cubelets, Ozobot Classroom Kit and 14 iPads for Helen Morgan School: $11,570.83
The pack of 56 Cubelets includes Sense, Think and Act Cubelets that incorporate programming challenges. An Ozobot classroom kit supports STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art
and Math) using skill exercises with the Bit smart robot. These technology items will be used by all Helen Morgan School students. The iPad Air 2s will supplement the use of these grant items.
10 Lego Mindstorms EV3 Core Sets for Sparta Middle School: $4,464.28
The ten Lego Mindstorms sets will expose Sparta Middle School STEP students to engineering, coding and robotics, allowing the students to facilitate online and in-person lessons to the entire school population. This grant will also utilize the equipment to start a schoolwide Robotics Club in the 2018-19 school year. The Lego Mindstorm grant also provides students with the first curriculum-based coding/robotics program in the middle school, providing a consistent training platform for the students from elementary through high school.
Since 2006, the Sparta Education Foundation has funded over $895,000 in grants to all five of Sparta’s public schools. The Foundation is an all-volunteer, independent 501 (c) 3 NJ Non-Profit Corporation whose mission is to engage the entire community in philanthropic giving. Visit spartaeducationfoundation.org for more information about joining or volunteering.