Oklahoma A+ Schools receives third Boeing grant

The Oklahoma A+ Schools Institute at UCO received a $145,000 donation from Boeing on Jan. 24 for public schools throughout Oklahoma city and surrounding areas. The grant will completely fund multiple science projects for second graders, continuing that trend for the third year in a row.

Many different elementary schools in Oklahoma City will receive part of this grant, including Britton, Arthur, Thelma Parks, Fillmore, Mark Twain, and Esperanza elementary schools. Each school will receive the same amount of funding for teacher supplies and the same amount of projects for each student throughout the metro.

“The donation is directed towards 530 students’ STEAM bags, where they get equipment for their classes and supplies for the teachers,” said Mariah Wilson, the Boeing specialist at Oklahoma A+ Schools.

STEAM is an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Boeing designed the projects to help students identify various scientific terms and achieve an understanding of what a career in science could be like for them.

The bags provided by Boeing are essentially “science goodie bags” for students to create various projects with materials for both students and teachers. With the size of this grant, Boeing has doubled the number of projects available for students this year.

Boeing is a company focused on aerospace technology and is the leading designer for jets in the U.S. This donation marks the third year of their contributions toward Oklahoma A+ Schools, with the most recent grant funding their “GREA+ Boeing STEAM Challenge.”

“The current concept unit focuses on weather and wind. They come with twine, plastic lids, and gas to create a wind technology tool. They also provide students with a magnifying glass and a project on making snow,” said Wilson.

Boeing has dedicated their money toward specifically second grade classrooms for this grant, which will last until the end of the school year. 

“There are eight different concept units throughout the whole year,” said Wilson. Each unit is focused on a different aspect of science, making sure these students learn different terms and concepts.

The projects are being monitored virtually to continue to keep public schools and their classrooms safe from COVID-19. 

Boeing had already donated to Oklahoma A+ Schools the past two years. They provided the institute with a $50,000 donation in March of 2020, and a $100,000 donation in April of 2021. With all three of these donations, Boeing has achieved a total of $295,000 dollars in grants to Oklahoma A+ Schools in the past three years alone.