Students at six Dallas ISD schools will be able to enjoy classroom upgrades, including a high-quality STEAM education, thanks to the TEXAS YES Project. In a ceremony held at the Dallas ISD STEM Environmental Education Center on Monday morning, representatives from the awarded schools received over $50,000 in educational grants.
Danielle Gunter, executive director at TEXAS YES, said these funds will allow campuses to get equipment to bolster their STEAM programs or help update classrooms and facilities. “We’re very excited to bring those grants to these Dallas ISD schools and help support the district’s future leaders,” she said. TEXAS YES is an educational nonprofit committed to closing the gap for educational equality through the support of Title I students in Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Austin.
The six Dallas SID schools awarded Monday are N.W. Harllee Early Childhood Center, Clara Oliver Elementary School, Leslie A. Stemmons Elementary School, Stephen C. Foster Elementary School, Seagoville High School, and the STEM Environmental Education Center.
Cheryl Freeman, principal at Clara Oliver Elementary School, explained that her campus applied for the grant to help build a STEAM lab for fourth and fifth graders as they prepare to take the STAAR tests. “Having this facility will allow our kids to do hands-on experiments and activities to ensure they understand how science works,” she said.
Other schools shared that they would use the funds to buy microscopes, iPads or books for the library that will ultimately help their students.
“These grants will open opportunities for students of all ages to really apply what they’re learning in their science and math classrooms and turn that into something real,” said Michael Ruiz, executive director of STEM in Dallas ISD.
