Greene County Middle teachers earn STEM Innovation Grant Award
Matthew Lococo, 7th Grade STEM ELA teacher at GCMS receives PRISM Grant from the Burroughs Welcome Fund and Thomas Loftin, GCMS STEM Lab Teacher receives PRISM Grant from the Burroughs Welcome Fund. Submitted photo.
Matthew Lococo, seventh grade STEM English Language Arts Teacher and Thomas Loftin, STEM Lab teacher, both received the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Promoting Innovation in Science and Mathematics (PRISM) Teacher Grant in the amount of $4,500.
According to the Burroughs Wellcome Fund website, the PRISM grant “supports teaching professionals in their efforts to provide quality hands-on, inquiry-based activities for their students. PRISM promotes excitement for science and mathematics in the classroom by providing funds for materials, equipment, and supplies related to the implementation of high-quality curriculum and activities in the classroom.”
The grant provides up to $3,000 to cover the cost of equipment, materials and supplies for one year. The recipient may request an additional $1,500 for professional development related to the use of new equipment or materials in the classroom.
The PRISM Grant is awarded to teaching professionals who hold a professional educator’s license to teach in a North Carolina K-12 public school.
Both Loftin and Lococo are members of the Greene County Middle School STEM program, which supports innovative teaching and learning in all curriculum areas.
The STEM program at GCMS “supports student center learning in a technology-rich environment that is focused on 21st-century skills, themes and projects that allow students to expand their learning,” said Jose Garcia, Greene County Schools STEM director.
Lococo’s grant will help students establish digital interactive notebooks using student iPads. With the funds he received, Lococo will be able to purchase a classroom set of Apple Pencils to allow students to develop their interactive learning skills on the iPads.
Loftin was awarded the maximum amount of $4,500 for “Infusing Coding and Computational Thinking” as a component of his Coding for Content program.
Coding for Content is a district initiative to incorporate computer science into all grade levels and content areas from pre-K to early college. The Coding for Content initiative began in the fall of 2018, and this funding will ensure its implementation throughout the 2020-21 school year.
Both teachers are excited about the opportunity to attend professional development opportunities attached to this grant and to expand their students’ learning through technology.
Greene County Middle School is currently designated as a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction STEM School of Distinction. GCMS received that designation in 2018 and will reapply for recognition of its STEM program in 2023.
