MiSTEM Network part of collaborative to award grants for water-focused education

June 14, 2022 (Volume 45, Number 18)
Article by Peg West

Larry Wyn, Michigan Statewide Program Manager for Code.org and MiSTEM computer science program manager

Photo Credit: Kendra Stanley-Mills

A new round of K-12 institutions, school districts and educational partnerships has received grants through a Grand Valley-related program dedicated to water-focused education.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the grants totaling $205,028 for 16 recipients. A key partner for the effort is the From Students to Stewards Initiative, which is a collaboration among the MiSTEM Network; the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy; Michigan Department of Education; and the Office of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

Staff members from the Regional Math and Science Center are part of the From Students to Stewards collaboration, which seeks to integrate Great Lakes and freshwater literacy into educational plans to prepare students to address complex and evolving water issues.

The involvement by Grand Valley, which has been a MiSTEM Network Region since 2017, has helped provide funds to educators to implement learning that is problem-, place-, and project-based, said Larry Wyn, who works through the Regional Math and Science Center with the MiSTEM Network and is also the computer science program manager for MiSTEM.

"By providing funding support and professional learning, we hope that educators can implement new and innovative approaches to education," Wyn said. "There is a vast number of resources within our communities to enhance student learning and allow them to become stewards of their environment.

"As part of the grant program, each of our grantees will have the opportunity to engage in a community of practice to learn from other grantees and improve their practice."