Learning Grants by SRP Awarded to 33 Arizona Schools

Students across Arizona will explore how to use drones, virtual reality and energy-efficient architecture to learn more about math and science thanks to Learning Grants by SRP. The grant program, which awarded a record $147,855 to 33 schools, provides a unique opportunity for schools and teachers to develop projects and programs that improve student performance objectives in math, science and engineering.

Salt River Project annually contributes more than $1.3 million to education initiatives, grants and partnerships and provides free training and resources to educators throughout the state.

Below are the SRP Learning Grants awarded for the 2019-20 school year (alphabetized by city):

Casa Grande High School (Casa Grande) $3,075: This project will include a graphing calculator for each student to calculate eight different economic concepts ranging from home ownership to retirement. Each student has a unique set of variables that need to be worked out using algebra. The graphing calculator will take in the varying data and come up with basic solutions for these students.

Palo Verde Elementary (Casa Grande) $1,800: Students will interact with various hands-on STEM. (science, technology, engineering and math) projects that will deepen their understanding in science. Students will collaborate, create, and innovate circuits on paper, dissect various species, explore the phases of the moon with Oreos, make lava lamps and create various habitats. Through these interactive activities, students will get a better understanding of how to apply skills learned in the classroom to their everyday lives.

Bogle Junior High (Chandler) $5,000: The grant will provide a Google Expeditions Virtual Reality (VR) kit that will provide students with the opportunity to investigate real-life locations, from the International Space Station to Ancient Rome. Students will use the places they visit to conduct observations, practice recording data, and begin extensive research projects and scientific experiments based around what they have seen and learned virtually.

Humphrey Elementary (Chandler) $2,754: The grant will be used to purchase a classroom set of Little Bits STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) kits and accompanying tackle boxes needed to organize and manage the kits' pieces. The class set contains enough STEAM sets for a class of 30 students to use at a time. These materials would enhance the current curriculum in technology by providing students opportunities to work through the engineering design process, to solve problems using technology and to communicate ideas with others.

Pomeroy Elementary (Chandler) $3,194: SRP's grant dollars will fund the materials needed to help start a common, cross-curricular, STEM program in the kindergarten department. The materials will allow teachers to extend lessons and to scaffold students' thinking when building and designing for a challenge. Students at this grade level who enjoy literature and are encouraged to use the engineering design process to solve fairy tale problems.

San Tan Junior High (Chandler) $5,000: This project is focused on upgrading the current robotics club robot. The equipment will be able to be used during the school day in the Project Lead the Way classroom. The funding will allow the school to upgrade its equipment to participate in the competitive robotics events next year. Beyond the club benefits, there are 200 students enrolled in the robotics classroom each semester who would be able to benefit from the equipment upgrade.

Anthem K-8 (Florence) $5,000: The grant will purchase durable equipment with which students will use a wide variety of materials to create products that reflect an understanding of renewable resources and sustainability. Students will research and design activities with textiles, food, solar cells and digital projects, and for modeling, building and testing with wood, plastic and clay.

Campo Verde High School (Gilbert) $4,909: The school will replace broken and outdated technology. This will allow students to explore the scientific world by the collection and analysis of data. The new opportunities to engage in science with technology could spark an interest and encourage students to enroll in a four-year science or major in one of the STEM fields.

Eduprize High School (Gilbert) $5,000: The grant will help purchase a set of microscopes and equipment that will allow for class demonstrations and observations. Students’ opportunities are limited by old and failing equipment, and this will provide observations and data collection ability used to test existing theories and explanations or to revise and develop new ones. All systems are made of very small particles, and the microscopes will encourage investigation in those realms.

Finley Farms Elementary (Gilbert) $4,910: The grant would be used to purchase 10 Wonder Workshop "Cue" kits and seven Lego "Wedo" kits. These materials will be used to create a "MakerSpace." With these materials, students can be involved with and learn coding and programming. Students would learn to power robots with code and build, program and run robots.

Gilbert Elementary (Gilbert) $2,500: The goal of the Spanish STEM Club is to increase student interest and knowledge of STEM careers and opportunities. The club will explore and design projects through hands-on STEM activities. The club is led by dual-language students in 5th and 6th grades who design and lead STEM activities for students in 2nd and 3rd grade.

Gilbert High School (Gilbert) $4,935: Students will have access to more experimental and lab-based chemistry, engage interactively in chemistry and in lab groups, be prepared for the use of technology required for college-level science classes, enjoy learning science and increase the likelihood of pursuing a STEM field at the post-secondary education level. Students would use Lab Quest 2 hand-held devices to set up experiments to collect and analyze data.

Mesquite High School (Gilbert) $4,997: The school will purchase Vernier Go Direct sensors for its advanced science program. The sensors will allow for live streaming of real-time data for a variety of lab activities. The equipment will improve the lab experience for students and potentially open up class time to cover more topics or go into greater detail on current topics.

Desert Edge High School (Goodyear) $5,000: Students in AP Physics, Conceptual Physics and Environmental Science will conduct a comprehensive, semester-long project focused on net-zero energy homes. They will design and build a scale-model net-zero energy house, test and refine their designs, and communicate their design process and results. Students will also visit builders of net-zero energy homes in the area to gather real-world data for evidence on the actual energy use of these homes.

Desert Meadows Elementary (Laveen) $5,000: Eighth-grade science standards ask students to examine, investigate and apply Newton's Laws of Motion, as well as graph the motion of objects using various graphs. The Smart Cart system allows students to build tracks, ramps and systems to measure motion while collecting data via Bluetooth.

Millennium High School (Litchfield Park) $5,000: The project will integrate 3D printing in the physics classroom that will enable students to use physics formulas and a spreadsheet to predict the maximum altitude of their homemade rockets. In another project, students will be able to print the turbine for a small hydroelectric power plant and for a project related to Arduino Kits.

Arete Preparatory (Mesa) $5,000: This project would allow students to conduct two mapping labs to improve their skills in scale and dimension. The first lab will include using compasses to map the entirety of their campus, including buildings and other structures. The second lab will include traveling to Lava River Cave in Flagstaff to map the inside of a lava tube to determine if lava tubes can provide a suitable habitat for humans on other planets.

AZ Aspire Academy (Mesa) $3,226: The grant will be used to build a STEAM lab and to add to the school’s math and science curriculum. The goal is to acquire a variety of reusable hands-on materials to enhance the students’ learning experience. By making the STEAM, math and science curriculum more hands-on, students will gain a deeper understanding of the science and technology concepts.

Red Mountain High School (Mesa) $5,000: Mammalian cell culturing is a crucial research technique and is an essential skill in the formulation of the next generation of scientists. To help the students harness the power of scientific research, they must hold the lab equipment in their hands and culture the cells for themselves. The grant will purchase equipment for mammalian cell culturing and will be able to provide the imperative educational and research opportunities needed for future science leaders.

Rhodes Junior High (Mesa) $4,900: Rhodes Junior High would like students to design and build prototypes of green, residential buildings. Students would begin by developing their own criteria for what makes an appropriate residence and learning about green architecture. Second, students would create a drafted design of their building in the engineering class. Third, students would construct a model of their prototype. Students will test energy efficiency using heat lamps and temperature sensors.

Liberty High School (Peoria) $5,000: The grant will provide funding to purchase a computer, 3D printer, STEM kits, computer kits and monitors as well as programming and robotics kits. The school will utilize some of the supplies from this grant as part of an outreach project for elementary schools and/or "STEM Nights" to get more students in the district and community interested in STEM.

Peoria High School (Peoria) $5,000: There has been no certified physics teacher at Peoria High School. This year, the program was resurrected and offered two physics sections and next year there will be physics at all levels. Equipment is needed to be able to serve students and prepare them for the future. Between this grant and the matching school funds, the seven sections of physics classes will have all the equipment needed.

Sunrise Mountain High School (Peoria) $5,000: The objective of this project is to integrate the technology associated with biotechnology into the science classroom. This project will allow students the opportunity to conduct experiments and collect/analyze data in the same manner as lab technicians. Students would have the opportunity to explore current biotechnological practices and how they relate to biology.

Arcadia High School (Phoenix) $4,730: The goal of this project is to entice more students to take physics courses by incorporating more exciting, hands-on technology in labs and activities. Students will use electrostatic kits to develop a relationship and understanding of the wavelength and frequency of light waves to produce color and how those wavelengths interact with human and non-human eyes. The kits will give students a strong foundation of how atoms produce electric charge and fields.

Fireside Elementary (Phoenix) $5,000: "Little by Little" is designed and intended to offer students the opportunity to learn and explore more about electrical energy as they design box monsters and three-wheeled racers. Implementing this project will give students a chance to apply problem-solving skills, 21^st-century learning, the engineering design process, and integrate STEM curriculum with real-world applications of energy, learning objectives, scientific discovery and team collaboration.

Madison Park Elementary (Phoenix) $4,710: The grant will provide the school with essential STEAM materials that will enhance the classroom lessons, enabling students to have a more hands-on approach in their learning. The grant will allow the library to gain material such as LittleBits electronic building blocks, 3D Doodler Pens and Aquaponics Stations among other reusable resources. These materials would work in partnership with science, math and technology classes.

Pensar Academy (Phoenix) $5,000: The proposed project, Robotics: Engaging in Real Life STEM, will engage students in the application of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The grant will purchase an Evo Classroom Kit (12 Bots), Sphero SPRK+ Power Pack (12 robots), and three LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robot sets with three team registrations for the 2019-2020 challenge.

Pinnacle Peak Prep (Phoenix) $4,693: The grant is for Wonder Workshop Dash Robots and iPads to inspire students to create solutions to real-world problems with the use of electronics, programing and design through the use of these robots and iPads. The use of these robots will help students practice computational thinking and develop 21st-century skills. The iPad is an ideal tool for teaching STEM because it supports the whole learning journey – from data collection and mathematical analysis to design thinking, prototyping, collaboration, content creation and coding.

Sandra Day O’Connor High School (Phoenix) $4,000: This project allows students to simulate the process that scientists use to solve the problem of a real-world, foodborne pathogen outbreak. Students engage in generating questions, developing a hypothesis, design an experiment using gel electrophoresis technology, and analyze and apply the data from the electrophoresis to develop an explanation about the spread of a foodborne illness.

Solano Elementary (Phoenix) $5,000: The grant would be spent on purchasing 27 microscopes to provide high-quality and exemplary science-learning experiences. While investigating different sciences such as biology, anatomy, geology and environmental science, students will be exposed to math concepts as they graph their findings, technology as they record their data and writing as they express what they seem to have figured out through qualitative and quantitative observation.

Combs High School (San Tan Valley) $5,000: Students will utilize math, problem-solving skills and welding to build portable hog pens that can travel to different competitions and the county fair. The students will design their portable pens in class using a variety of math skills and then transfer that to the build part of the project by measuring, scaling, cutting and welding these pieces together to complete the project.

Coronado High School (Scottsdale) $4,200: The school will purchase a 3D Printer and other technology tools for their new engineering program to allow 60 students per semester to design, build and test electro-mechanical projects. Some examples of projects are solar-powered cars, windmills and irrigation-controlled timers. The 3D printer will be used to print out the precision parts on an ongoing basis as well as to train the students in their use.

Fees College Prep (Tempe) $5,000: With the access to educational drone pack, students will construct, fly and learn the various systems of drones and experience hands-on mechanical and engineering projects. Students will also use drone technology to brainstorm solutions to global problems and use applicable business skills to create a business plan model to present an idea to a useable product. Combining the elements of cost analysis, drone technology and design-process thinking, students will experience cross-curricular standards in math, science and technology.