A combination of grants and institutional funds will allow the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts to develop an innovative learning space to promote STEM and computer science education.
A $20,000 General Improvement Fund Grant from the West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District combined with a $10,000 grant from the Ross Foundation in Arkadelphia and institutional funds will allow the school to create the ASMSA Maker Space.
The Maker Space will serve as a hub for ASMSA’s Science and Engineering Institutes (SEI) as well as computer science and other STEM-related courses. The Science and Engineering Institutes afford motivated students from across Arkansas with free enrichment classes meant to promote hands-on, minds-on learning. ASMSA faculty members guide students through project-based learning at the SEIs.
SEI programs are currently housed in classrooms throughout campus. The ASMSA Maker Space will consolidate the necessary technology, tools and other equipment for the program in a single and prominent space on campus. It is intended to be a model classroom that underscores flexible learning spaces, integrated technology and 21st century tools to promote critical areas of STEM and computer science.
ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice and Vicki Hinz, ASMSA development specialist, accepted the grant for the Maker Space at the West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District office on Dec. 4. The district is one of eight developmental districts tasked with awarding grants to assist local communities with their community and economic development needs from funding appropriated by the Arkansas General Assembly.
“ASMSA is appreciative of the support of the West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Inc., and our local legislators for investing in expanded resources and learning spaces for ASMSA students,” Alderdice said. “These programs will not only benefit our residential students but also hundreds of other young Arkansans who participate in our Science and Engineering Institutes and Humanities Days programs.”
This is the second GIF Grant that ASMSA received from the West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District this year. In August, the district approved a $15,000 grant for ASMSA to create a visual arts studio on campus. The new studio will offer more opportunities for students who choose a humanities emphasis in their studies at ASMSA.
“As the school undertakes a new commitment to furthering its arts mission,” Hinz said, “the support of the West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Inc., and our local legislators is truly appreciated as we work together to improve academic opportunities for Arkansas students.”