FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Nov. 14, 2016 – The Northrop Grumman Foundation announced the 25 public middle school semifinalists in its Fab School Labs STEM lab makeover contest. With the support of their local communities and the public at large as part of a week-long online voting campaign scheduled from Monday, Dec. 5 to Friday, Dec. 9, the semifinalist schools will have an opportunity to make their dreams of a state-of-the-art science lab a reality with one of five available grants up to $100,000 each.
The schedule for online voting and Fab School Labs contest semifinalist schools, which hail from 17 states, are as follows:
Voting Day One – Monday, Dec. 5
National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM Middle School – Akron, Ohio
Oak Valley Middle School – Commerce Township, Michigan
South Harrison Middle School – Lost Creek, West Virginia
South Oldham Middle School – Crestwood, Kentucky
UP Academy Leonard – Lawrence, Massachusetts
Voting Day Two – Tuesday, Dec. 6
Cottonwood Valley Charter- Socorro, New Mexico.
Green Woods Charter School – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kiser Elementary – Gila Bend, Arizona
Morton School of Science – Chicago, Illinois
Northeast Middle School – Clarksville, Tennessee
Voting Day Three – Wednesday, Dec.7
Connellsville Area Middle School – Connellsville, Pennsylvania
Downtown College Prep Alum Rock Middle School – San Jose, California
Mountain View Preparatory School – Cottonwood, Arizona
Salisbury Middle School – Salisbury, Maryland
Wiley H. Bates Middle School – Annapolis, Maryland
Voting Day Four – Thursday, Dec. 8
Bluegrass Middle School – Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences – Escondido, California
International Technology Academy – Pontiac, Michigan
Lakeland Elementary Middle School – Baltimore, Maryland
Princess Anne Middle School – Virginia Beach, Virginia
Voting Day Five – Friday, Dec. 9
Beverlye Magnet School – Dothan, Alabama
Consuelo Mendez Middle School – Austin, Texas
Deerfield Beach Middle School – Deerfield Beach, Florida
Harriet Tubman Village Charter School – San Diego, California
William James Middle School – Statesboro, Georgia
“Enhancing school classrooms and the tools available to students is necessary for teachers to make the science and technology learning experience inspiring,” said Sandra Evers-Manly, vice president, Global Corporate Responsibility, Northrop Grumman, and president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation. “We have an opportunity to spark the naturally inquisitive nature of today’s youth who are adept at so many of the technologies available to us today. With teachers and the community at large working together, students have a greater chance to thrive and let their imagination soar as they engage in the exciting field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”
Joining Northrop Grumman Foundation in the contest’s semifinalist and finalist review and judging process will be the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). According to Dr. David Evans, executive director, NSTA, “By the time students enter middle school, they have already reached a critical age to embrace the world of science through engaging learning opportunities. Unfortunately, due to outdated equipment, lack of space, and budget constraints, many schools are not able to provide their science classrooms with up-to-date equipment and materials, leaving the laboratory experiences for students uninspiring or all together absent. Through the Fab School Labs contest, teachers are able to receive the tools, resources, and technologies needed to strengthen their existing lab capabilities, so that they can not only better prepare their students to be informed citizens, but inspire a real passion for science.”
Nearly 200 schools participated in the contest submitting videos, photos and sharing their school’s vision and need for a state-of-the-art science lab. The contest, which was announced earlier this year during one of NSTA’s five annual conferences, invited teachers, principals and school administrators to tell their school’s story through video, photos, and a brief essay. The top 25 semifinalist schools were chosen based on a scoring system that included existing classroom/lab resources, level of need, students impacted, feasibility of upgrades and plans proposed, and meeting the contest eligibility requirements and entry criteria.
To help determine the final five winning school grant recipients, the Northrop Grumman Foundation will engage the public’s help via an online voting campaign hosted on the Fab School Labs Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FabSchoolLabs beginning Dec. 5. Once all of the online votes have been cast, a final selection process will be conducted by the Fab School Labs’ panel of judges to determine the top five grant recipients. The winning schools will then work with a design and engineering company to help create their Fab School Lab and identify new tools, resources and furnishings.
To learn more about the Fab School Labs contest, visit www.FabSchoolLabs.com. To vote once the online public voting window is open, or to follow the competition, visit Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FabSchoolLabs.
About the Northrop Grumman Foundation – Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation are committed to expanding and enhancing the pipeline of diverse, talented STEM students globally. They provide funding to sustainable STEM programs that span from preschool to high school and through collegiate levels, with a major emphasis on middle school students and teachers. In 2015, Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation continued education outreach efforts by contributing more than $17 million to diverse STEM-related groups such as the Air Force Association (CyberPatriot), the REC Foundation (VEX Robotics), National Science Teachers Association and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. For more information, please visit www.northropgrumman.com/foundation.
