MEDORA
A supplemental funding opportunity shared during a weekly update caught Shannon Hunsucker’s attention.
When she read about the Engineering Mindset Booster Grant to Support Equity, she thought it was a perfect opportunity to bring added science, technology, engineering and math experiences to the Reach for a Star after-school program participants from Medora STEM Academy.
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The purpose of the grant is to provide training and support to implement three engineering activities developed by the STEM Next Opportunity Fund that encourage engagement and participation of girls and other underrepresented youth ages 9 to 12. Funding was provided by STEM Next Opportunity Fund as part of the Million Girls Moonshot.
Hunsucker, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers district coordinator for Medora Community School Corp., submitted the grant application Feb. 12 and received an email four days later stating Medora was among the six grant recipients. Each grant is valued at $1,500.
“I was very excited when I opened the email and saw that we had received the grant,” she said.
“The grant application was amazingly simple, which was greatly appreciated and another draw to apply,” she said. “The team at Indiana Afterschool Network, the agency who offered the grant, knows that we are all busy and they value our time. They wanted to support the youth work field while not overburdening those of us who applied with a bunch of requests and requirements.”
The application was completed via Survey Monkey and only asked for agency information, the number of students who would be served, the school’s experience with STEM activities and why it values equity for students, Hunsucker said.
The grant will provide Medora with thoroughly written lesson plans for three separate STEM activities, $500 to purchase supplies for those activities and $1,000 for staffing costs that will be incurred for training and facilitation.
Hunsucker said $500 is typically Medora’s supply allotment for the entire year, so having this money to spend on three activities gives them the opportunity to really go big.
“Our staffing budget is typically pretty tight, as well, so those funds are greatly appreciated as they will provide a small cushion as well as added time for staff training with a STEM focus,” Hunsucker said.
The funding also will allow Medora to host a six-day STEM camp for third- through sixth-graders involved in the after-school program. The camp will occur between March 9 and 18 during regular program hours Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the school’s spring break.
While the grant targets underrepresented youth between ages 9 and 12, specifically girls, Hunsucker said many of Medora’s students can be considered underrepresented in the STEM field.
There are currently 52 students enrolled in the kindergarten through eighth grade portion of the after-school program.
“Currently, well over 80% of students attending Medora STEM Academy and the 21st CCLC after-school program are designated as economically disadvantaged,” she said. “Unfortunately, it has been shown that adults who held this designation as children are underrepresented within STEM-based career fields.”
Through the 21st CCLC after-school program at Medora STEM Academy, Blue River Services Inc. is working to expose students to greater possibilities for their futures, Hunsucker said.
“We are doing this by immersing them in experiences that will interest them and ideally lead them to pursue higher-paying, rewarding careers within a STEM-based field,” she said. “The addition of the activities provided by this grant will allow us to give our students these experiences on an even higher level.”
Hunsucker said the camp activities will be easy to repeat once all plans are received and materials are purchased.
“This will allow us to do them again in coming years and give all future third through sixth grade Medora students who participate in the after-school program the opportunity to experience and benefit from the activities,” she said.
Hunsucker said she and her staff want to see students excel well past their time in the after-school program and the end of their educational careers and far into their professional careers and adult lives.
“In the end, our hope is that their time with us will result in our students being successful adults and contributing members of the Medora and Jackson County communities,” she said.
They realize not everything they do in the after-school program will interest every student.
“Continuing to offer a wide variety of opportunities to our students is important in our efforts to ensure everyone is engaged and learning,” Hunsucker said. “There are so many possibilities out there for our students, and we want to make sure they are aware of as many of them as possible. If one activity grabs a student’s interest and they run with it, who knows where it could lead them?”