Delran Township Public Schools has developed a partnership with employees from Lockheed Martin and have been the recipient of over $5,000 during the 2018-2019 school year with another $5,000 pledged for the 2019-2020 school year.
Lockheed Martin employees have taken advantage in a payroll deduction program to support programs in Delran Township that support STEM education. Thus far, the partnership has supported STEM initiatives in 40 classrooms involving 1,500 students while developing over 30 STEM specific skills.
Past initiatives funded by employees from Lockheed Martin include the following:
Shaun DeLoche, Delran High School Bridge Building and Gas Powered Bicycles: Research bridge design, design a replica, testing for structural rigidity and installation of a four stroke motor on a single speed bike.
Siobhan McVay, Delran High School Electrochemistry and Acid/Base Titrations: Participate in hands on application of electroplating clean metal samples; utilize appropriate lab style pH metering tools to measure pH levels quantitatively.
Jennifer Frisella and Amy Yodis, Delran Middle School 7th Grade STEAM Activities: Hands on project based learning activities regarding water pollution, watershed importance and engineering water filtration systems.
Sabrina Simon and Tara Lindle, Delran Intermediate School Reading the Weather, Expanding their Worlds: STEM non-fiction books allowing for more leveled reading for better comprehension.
Sharon Kernan and Patrick Myers, Delran Intermediate Schools Is Fertilizer Necessary?: Research project for environmentally friendly alternatives to growing food.
Denise Perrino Engineering through the Year with STEM in Action: Exposing students to a STEM growth mindset.
Erica DeMichele, Supervisor of Science and Mary Jo Hutchinson, Supervisor of math are district administrators who oversee all of the work in the area of STEM. They have ushered in a brand new FAB Lab at Delran High School to support a “STEM for All” approach to instruction and have worked closely with Alan Croly, a Delran High School graduate, resident of Delran and current Lockheed Martin employee in establishing this partnership.
DeMichele shared “As the leads of the Delran STEM Ecosystem Alliance, the alignment to our community partners and Delran School’s district goal “to provide STEM opportunities for all learners”, can be reached more effectively. For the second year in a row, through the generous support of Lockheed Martin Moorestown’s Community Grant, our teachers are able to reinforce instruction for students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, well beyond their normally allotted classroom budget. This helps build developing citizens who are excited to engage in the conversations about today’s global issues. We look forward to reviewing this year’s round of applications for teachers.”
