New Holland-Middletown kick-starts STEM
curriculum with Monsanto grant
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[November
01, 2013]
MIDDLETOWN -- According to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, the number of jobs requiring experience in
science, technology, engineering and mathematics is growing, yet
fewer students are choosing to major in these areas. Thanks to the
Mason City Monsanto site and a $20,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund,
the New Holland-Middletown Elementary School District 88 will now be
able to better engage students and pique their interest in these
subject areas, known as STEM courses, through an interactive
approach in the classroom.
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The school district serves kindergarten to eighth-grade students
from the communities of New Holland and Middletown in Logan County.
New Holland-Middletown plans to use the grant to purchase an
interactive weather station, a Smart Board with 3-D document camera,
four student group workstations, an eyewash station and a fume hood,
along with balances, heating plates and other supplies to conduct
hands-on, interactive science experiments.
"This grant will benefit the school in the best possible way by
putting the equipment in the hands of the kids immediately," said
Todd Dugan, superintendent at New Holland Middletown District 88.
"With two small rural communities and approximately 65 percent of
the student body living in poverty, funding for innovative and
technologically advanced equipment is hard to find."
The Mason City Monsanto site is excited about pursuing a
relationship with the New Holland-Middletown district because many
Mason City Monsanto customers and employees have children who are
enrolled in the school.
"The district has been working hard to increase community
involvement and raise funds to equip the students with the tools
necessary for a digital education," said Charles Brown, operations
manager at Mason City Monsanto site. "A lot of the work we do at
Monsanto is research-focused, so we are happy to help provide
funding to update the science lab at New Holland-Middletown ESD."
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"As our district continues to teach according to the Common Core
State Standards, it is becoming increasingly important for our
school to provide STEM opportunities," said Dugan. "This grant will
help to ensure our students have experience with STEM prior to
entering their high school years."
This year, the Monsanto Fund awarded 127 site grants to nonprofit
organizations in 26 states. In Illinois alone, 18 site grants were
awarded, totaling $201,100. The Monsanto Fund continues to provide
support to organizations such as New Holland-Middletown Elementary
School to help strengthen communities where farmers and Monsanto
employees live and work.
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New Holland-Middletown Elementary School District 88:
http://www.nhm88.com/
[Text from news release from the
Monsanto Fund]
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm
of the Monsanto Co., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto
employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at
www.monsantofund.org.
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