By Katie Marker
2/11/16
KETTERING, OH - 11th graders take on
a new project and it consists of drafting grants for the needs of teachers at DRSS, and
it is uniquely preparing students for future careers through project-based
learning.
 |
| The grant writing project is in its second year at DRSS. |
In Ms. McDaniel's Technical Reading and
Writing class, an 11th grade English class, students have been
interviewing teachers, proposing budgets, and writing out executive summaries
for this quarter’s grant project. From calculators to Smart-boards, the juniors
are learning how to write and budget for grants. “I think it’s incredibly
real-world, and I’ve never had anything like this,” said Ms. Moore, the
long-term substitute teacher for the class. This project is unique, and
provides knowledge that isn’t well known among many students, or even many
adults! Exhibiting project-based learning, one of DRSS’s well-known teaching hallmarks,
the students work together in groups of five or six. Each group drafts and presents
a grant for the needs of a teacher, researching and applying knowledge about
what is involved in a professional grant.
 |
| Students hard at work on grant writing. |
Many students believe this
project is genuinely preparing them for the future. Lindsey McCartney, a junior
at DRSS, states: “This project is very relevant to my future career in
science. It’s important for me to learn
how to write grants because I’m going to have to be able to write grants to get
funding for my research.”
This project demonstrates the
unique learning environment at STEM. The school’s slogan, “The Real World
Starts Here,” is shown because it is preparing students for the future. This project goes deeper deeper than traditional
high school courses, effectively engaging students and opening them up to the
amazing things that they can accomplish before they even leave high school.
