The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) has announced recipients of the 2018-2019 AT&T Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) grants. Professionals working in schools across the territory were competitively selected to receive awards ranging from $1,250 to $8,500 for a total funding cycle of over $70,000. Grant funds will be used to facilitate student projects, boosting STEM exposure and education in public, private and parochial schools.
In this fourth year of the STEM education grant program, the number of awards has seen an increase of more than double what was provided in 2018 thanks to AT&T’s generous philanthropic investment.
“We are so grateful for AT&T’s ongoing support for students in the USVI, especially while facing challenges with school schedules. As we continue building forward, this year’s grants will empower our youth with access to STEM enrichment not only in the public schools but also in the Early Head Start, private, parochial and home school settings,” said CFVI President Dee Baecher-Brown.
Through this funding, students in the St. Thomas-St. John and St. Croix Districts have the opportunity to learn more about the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields via hands-on instruction.
“Barriers like the lack of access to information about STEM can be overcome through exemplary outreach strategies that are designed to ignite initial interest in STEM pathways,” said Alexandra Verdiales Costa, vice president of AT&T Puerto Rico and USVI.
“AT&T, working with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, is proud to provide a means to bring STEM programs not only to public schools, but to expand them to Early Head Start, private, parochial and home school settings,” Costa said.
List of Grantees for 2018-2019 AT&T STEM Funding
1) Ludovic Atemazem, Charlotte Amalie H.S. on St. Thomas – Building and Improving Robotics by Collecting Data
2) Steve Bullock/ St. Croix Rocketry Association; St. Croix Educational Complex, St. Croix Central H.S., John H. Woodson Jr. H.S. and Elena Christian Jr. H.S. on St. Croix — National Rocketry/ Robotics Competition
3) Patrick Cawdette; Early Head Start (operated by Lutheran Social Services of the V.I.) on St. Croix — Early Head Start STEM
4) Dora Cerge; Ivanna Eudora Kean H.S. on St. Thomas – Introduction to Engineering Robotics, Girls in Engineering Club
5) Reba Dickson, John H. Woodson Jr. H.S. on St. Croix – STEM Explorers!
6) Jacqueline Francis, Jane E. Tuitt Primary School on St. Thomas –Tuitt’s School Garden Project
7) Tetyana Hayes, All Saints Cathedral School on St. Thomas – All Saints Robotics and Astronomy Program
8) Cassandra King, St. Croix Educational Complex on St. Croix – Coding with Sphero Robots
9) Sean Malupa, Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School on St. Thomas – Lego Mindstorms Robotics Class
10) Julie Magee, U.S. Virgin Islands Homeschoolers on St. Thomas – V.I. Watershed/ Water Quality
11) Marisha Perkins, St. Croix Central High School on St. Croix – HAPPY (Human Anatomy and Physiology Project for Youths)
12) Paula Smail, Gifft Hill School on St. John – Island Explorers: A green STEM program for pre-K through 12th grade