Schools in Pender and Brunswick counties receive grants for student robotics programs

BURGAW, N.C. (WECT) - The Pender and Brunswick counties’ school districts have received grants approved by the North Carolina State Board of Education to enhance STEM opportunities with a focus on robotics. Pender County Schools received $243,056, the most of any school, and Brunswick County Schools received $70,430.

“We talk all the time about providing a pathway from the classroom to careers,” said Pender County Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven Hill in a county press release. “The amount of money that Pender County Schools has been awarded will continue to fuel programs that provide students a wide-range of opportunities down the road.”

Per the State Department of Public Instruction on July 13, 18 school districts and one charter school received parts of the $1.6 million in grants allocated from COVID-relief funding. There was no shortage of schools looking for grants; these recipients were chosen from 65 applications looking for a total of $6 million--far more funding than the program had available.

The funding will focus on helping schools disproportionately affected by COVID-19 build robotics programs. For example, the NCDPI says, funding can be used for establishing a school district’s relationship with a robotics partner, purchasing kits, supporting a team and paying stipends for coaches.

“The robotics partners that grantees choose must have a national presence in robotics education and competition and provide adequate instruction and programming for students and adult volunteers in robotics education, project-based learning, and competitive robotics. They must also promote a safe and equitable social environment (live or virtual),” said the NCDPI in a press release.

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