The MACS Education Foundation serves more than 5,000 students, teachers and principals in the nine Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools.
Over the past 23 years, financial support from donors through the Educational Excellence Annual Campaign has allowed us to: equip principals with monetary resources they need to allow their school to perform its best, encourage teachers to think creatively and share innovative ideas in the classroom, educate students in a variety of subjects such as religion, art, music, STEM, physical education and more.
Grants for Educational Excellence are offered to our teachers to recognize and support their creative initiative in providing our students with new and different avenues in which to learn. Financial support of up to $2,500 is offered per project, or two or more teachers may combine projects for up to $6,000. Grants are funded based on innovation, creativity, and the overall impact on the classroom experience.
Thanks to Catholic school supporters, Mary Kay Connery and Jack Peele received a Grant for Educational Excellence to incorporate robotics into their Technology and Engineering classes. This funding allowed their students to investigate Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) concepts through a series of hands-on activities using the Lego EV3 robots.
“Our students thoroughly enjoyed learning important STEM concepts through the EV3 robots,” Connery said. “This grant funded program sparked their interest in pursuing a deeper knowledge of computer programming.”
While working with Lego EV3 robots, the students:
- Designed and built programmable robots using engineering design process skills
- Interpreted two-dimensional drawings to create three-dimensional models
- Built, tested, and revised designs to improve robot performance
- Experienced cooperation with a team to communicate effectively using scientific and technical language
- Learned about the core concepts of computer programming
- Learned the role of troubleshooting, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving in Science
The grant allowed Christ the King High School to double the number of students enrolled in the Technology Independent Study course from the previous school year. The blended learning model allowed students to learn about the EV3 robots independently and at their own pace. Instead of offering only one time slot each semester for the Technology Independent Study class, the school was able to offer three sections per semester. The students worked with a high degree of autonomy and were able to collaborate with their peers to overcome learning challenges encountered with robots.
When asked what she would say to MACS Education Foundation supporters, Connery said, “There is just no way for Jack and me to express our sincere appreciation to MACS Education Foundation supporters for providing the resources to purchase the EV3 Robot kits. With limited financial resources, it would be a challenge for our school to purchase the kits. Since the kits are reusable, our students are going to benefit for years to come because of your kindness and generosity. We believe this grant has provided a high return on investment for our current and future students. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Learn more
At www.macseducationfoundation.org: Learn more about the mission of the MACS Education Foundation, or call Director of Development Heather Moeller at 704-370-3303.