By KRWG News
Las Cruces – White Sands Schools has received a $350,710 United States Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) program grant, said Principal Thomas Bulger.
The grant will fund the 21st Century Young Minds Program at White Sands Schools, which has students in grades K-8 and is located on White Sands Missile Range. The program is designed to promote student achievement in the core curriculum areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and to help students demonstrate higher-level thinking in collaboration with their peers, said Bulger.
Grant funds will be used to purchase technology for the classroom and will include new laptop computers, mounted Interactive white boards, iPADs and new software, said Bulger. The grant also will pay for extensive professional development through in-house and summer workshops for White Sands Schools teachers and other staff, he said.
"This grant is going to give us more tools to use in the classroom and advance the good things that are already happening at White Sands Schools," said Bulger. "Students are growing up in a digital world and we, as a school, will recognize and enhance that."
"Congratulations to the White Sands Schools for receiving a $350,000 technology
grant from DoDEA," said White Sands Missile Range Deputy Garrison Commander Kimberly Combs. "This is a great opportunity that will allow us to bring current technology to the
students in our community and the White Sands Schools to meet the growing needs for innovative technology in the classroom," she said.
"DoDEA supports research-based programs that aim to increase student achievement and ease the challenges that military children face due to their parents military service," according to www.militaryk12partners.dodea.edu/grants.cfm. "The grant program provides resources to military-connected local educational agencies (LEAs) to develop and implement projects." DoDEA has awarded $180 million in grants to more 100 military-connected LEAs, including White Sands Schools. "These three-year projects impact nearly 230,000 students from military families and more than 620,000 students overall," according to the website.