NH-M Students Showcased at State Capitol

 

[May 23, 2018]  LINCOLN - New Holland-Middletown Elementary District 88 students were selected to showcase their technology skills at TECH 2018 at the Illinois State Capitol building on May 10. The two students, Gracie Jones and Lucas Melton, represented their school in the rotunda by displaying how they had incorporated Robotics into Reading.

Students in Mrs. Darcy O’Connor’s 4th grade classroom, Gracie and Lucas were able to share with their local State Representative Tim Butler (R-87th) how they used computer coding to program robots to follow a story map from the novel read in class. The students’ enthusiasm was so evident that prior to Governor Rauner’s opening remarks, the Director of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology specifically mentioned that “if little Gracie Jones from New Holland-Middletown Elementary is looking for a job in a few years, I told her to call me!” Throughout the event, legislators and other state leaders continued to point to statistics showing the growth of STEM jobs.

Lucas and Gracie

The event, held annually since 1990 as way in which to demonstrate to state legislators the importance of adequate, equalized and reliable funding to meet school technology needs, is coordinated by the Illinois Computing Educators and is focused on demonstrating Illinois schools’ commitment to future-oriented learning, an area in which NH-M #88 has received numerous awards, grants and accolades for its efforts in bridging the digital divide among low-income students and their access to technology.

[story and picture provided by Superintendent Todd Dugan, New Holland-Middletown Elementary School District 88]