NILES — The Trumbull County Educational Service Center has secured a $55,400 grant that will be used to establish a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) program during the second semester of the 2020-21 school year.

The funding was made available through the Ohio Collaborative for Educating Remotely and Transforming Schools to support schools in their efforts to improve remote learning.

TCESC’s Curriculum and Instruction Department will launch the new STEM program in January and run it through the second semester of the 2020-21 school year.

The new STEM program will compliment TCESC’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Powered Learning, explained assistant Superintendent Dr. Robert Marino Jr., who oversees curriculum and instruction.

TCESC is building curriculum for STEM that can be used in any instructional model: remotely, face-to-face or a hybrid.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring our work and passion for creativity, innovation and collaboration to even more students,” said Dana Butto, TCESC Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Mathematics and STEAM Powered Learning.

The TCESC’s STEAM program started in 1991 as Arts / EXCEL, but was relaunched in 2014 as STEAM Excel to reflect the new inclusion of technology programming.

Both programs are open to students who attend public schools across Trumbull County that work in partnership with the TCESC. Students in grades 4 to 8 participate in STEAM. The new STEM program will be open to students in grades 5 to 8.

“This addition to our programming is another example of the efforts of our ESC Curriculum and Instruction team, in cooperation with districts across Trumbull County, to ensure our students receive the best available learning opportunities,” Marino said.

“As students have had to transition to learning online, this new program is an example of how diligently all educators are working to provide programming that allows students to enhance their innovative and critical thinking skills while encouraging collaboration and building perseverance.”

The OCER grant assists schools’ efforts in improving remote learning practices and outcomes through project-focused work that, ultimately, informs long-term solutions and transforms education. According to the Ohio Department of Education website.

Public and community schools, districts, consortia or networks and educational service centers qualified to apply for the funding.

TCESC applied for the grant in early November and received word of approval in early December.

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