Penguins foundation donates tech materials
CRANBERRY TWP — Seneca Valley School District received more than $115,000 in educational materials from the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation to enhance its STEAM programs.
The materials are being used in the Creativity, Innovation and Research Centers in the district's K-to-6 schools.
The donation includes nearly 1,000 items of things like robotics, engineering, invention and construction kits, Kindles, microphones, video equipment, Snap circuit sets, and Arduino boards.
“We are fortunate to be gifted with such a state-of-the-art creative and innovative materials,” said Sean McCarty, assistant superintendent of elementary instruction.
While the Penguins foundation may be known for its youth hockey programs, it also has educational outreach programs.
Dave Soltesz, president of the foundation, said the group started a STEAM Lending Library three years ago at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit 3 to allow schools to borrow educational technology equipment to facilitate science, technology, engineering, art and math learning.
The lending library was so well received and used by schools in the county that the foundation looked for ways to build other lending libraries or help other schools enhance their hands-on STEAM learning spaces.
That's where the partnership with Seneca Valley came in.
With the district already looking to convert some of its library spaces into creative, hands-on learning labs, it was a natural fit for the foundation to test out in-school STEAM equipment initiatives.
The school district converted the library in Haine Middle and Elementary School last school year.
Connoquenessing Valley and Rowan elementary schools will have CIRC spaces beginning this coming school year, although the CIRC curriculum has been used in each of the elementary schools since last school year.
While some of the materials were used in the schools this past spring, this coming year will be the first time the program's success can be formally evaluated, Soltesz said.
“We've been getting unbelievable comments from individual teachers about how the kids are getting involved,” Soltesz said.
Eric Fogle, Haine Middle School librarian and CIRC teacher, said the foundation's donation has made a tremendous impact on the student's experiences in the CIRC space.
“Our students now have the tools necessary to take complex coding and make it tangible,” he said. “All of the products that have been donated strengthen and support the hands-on learning that happens in CIRC on a daily basis.”
