Dunbar High School Awarded STEM Grant

DUNBAR HIGH SCHOOL IN FORT MYERS IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS A TECHNOLOGY POWERHOUSE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH RIGOROUS IBM STEM COURSEWORK. THE INSTITUTION NEEDS TO KEEP UP WITH THE CHANGING TECH WORLD. WELL, NOW A NEW CLASSROOM MAKE OVER GRANT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY UPDATE ITS EQUIPMENT AND GET STUDENTS READY FOR THE WORKFORCE. WGCUS DAYNA HARPSTER WAS THERE FOR THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. >> THE STEM GRANT IS FOR $50,000 AND IT'S A SELECTIVE SCHOOLS ENROLL IN PRE KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE WERE ELIGIBLE DONE BY WAS ONE OF 10 SCHOOLS IN THE STATE TO RECEIVE IT. THE GRANT WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD UPDATING THE SCHOOL'S COMPUTERS. AND SOFTWARE SAYS DENISE PENCE, THE SCHOOL'S HEAD OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. SO WE'RE GOING TO GET SOME BASIC BASIC, BUT SOME UP UPSCALE COMPUTERS THAT ARE GOING TO RUN SOME ROBUST PROGRAMS THAT ARE. >> WE'RE GOING TO HELP US TO SOME GAME DESIGN AND PROGRAMMING WEB DESIGN, DIGITAL GRAPHIC CARDS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE THAT ARE IN THAT THAT ROUND THAT REALLY NEED DESIGN LEVEL COMPUTERS. >> THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE AT THE SCHOOL'S ANNUAL CELEBRATION FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED IN IT AND JUST KEEP PROGRAMS. THE MONEY IS COMING FROM NEXTERA ENERGY FOUNDATION, THE NONPROFIT ARM OF NEXTERA ENERGY OF WHICH FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT IS A SUBSIDIARY THERE. WE SAY THE RECEPTION TO THIS NEWS WAS ELECTRIC. IT GRANTS TARGET TITLE ONE SCHOOLS OR THOSE WITH AT LEAST 40% ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS. THEY SUPPORT UPGRADES SUCH AS 3 D PRINTERS AND ROBOTICS KITS AND OTHER HANDS-ON LEARNING TOOLS. CHARLOTTE MILLER FROM FPNL EXPLAINS WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO THE COMPANY. WE ARE VERY DEDICATED TO SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES. NOT ONLY. >> WITH POWER AND ELECTRICITY, BUT ALSO BEING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE AND BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE FOR FOR SCHOOLS IS IS PARAMOUNT. IT'S THE STUDENTS HAVE ENHANCED LEARNING PROGRAMS BECAUSE OF IT AND ALSO CREATES A POTENTIAL CAREER PATHWAY FOR THEM WITH STEM, INCLUDING THE ENERGY SECTOR. >> JULIETTE, ROLLBACK OF FPNL EXPLAINS THAT DUNBAR REALLY STOOD OUT FROM THE OTHER APPLICANTS. DUNBAR HAS A HISTORY OF DOING EXCELLENT WORK WITH STEM. >> THEY ARE HAVE OUTSTANDING RECOGNITION FOR THE WORK THEY'VE DONE AND THAT THANKS, STUDENTS THAT HAVE EXCELLED IN THE AREAS OF STEM SO THAT LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR THEIR APPLICATION WHEN THEY APPLIED FOR THIS APPLICATION, IT REALLY STOOD OUT NOW. IT WAS VERY COMPETITIVE. AGAIN, WE HAD APPLICATIONS FROM ALL ACROSS THE STATE. AND SO IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT THEY WERE ONE OF THE 10 THAT WERE SELECTED. THEY WERE VERY DETAILED ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING TO BE IN THE CLASSROOM AND THEIR PURPOSE AND INTENT AND HAVING THE NEW COMPUTERS AND EVEN THINKING ABOUT THIS RESULTING IN CERTIFICATIONS FOR THE STUDENTS. SO IT WAS A PROGRAM THAT WAS CLEAR AND SUSTAINABLE, BOTH OF WHICH WE THOUGHT WERE GOING TO BE A VERY WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT. DUNBAR HAS MADE STEM INTERESTING AND EXCITING. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, IT'S ATTRACTED ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF STUDENTS AND NOT ONLY OUR TRADITIONAL MALE STUDENTS, IT HAS ATTRACTED MALE FEMALE, ALL DIFFERENT RACES. AND THIS IS VERY EXCITING FOR US BECAUSE STEM EDUCATION WILL REALLY CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR ME PERSONALLY. I THINK THAT'S AMAZING BECAUSE I THINK THAT OUR YOUTH ARE GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH MORE OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE OF THE WORK THEY'RE DOING HERE. >> FOUNDATION FOR LEE COUNTY SCHOOL CEO MARSHALL BAUER WAS ON HAND TO HELP SPREAD THE NEWS ABOUT THE GRANT. I'VE BEEN A FAN OF DUNBAR HIGH SCHOOL FOR A LONG TIME FROM THE ADMINISTRATION TO THE TEACHERS TO THE STUDENTS. >> IT'S ONE OF THOSE JUST OUTSTANDING AMAZING SCHOOLS. THEY EXCEL AT ANYTHING STEM RELATED AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY LIKE FPL UNDERSTANDS THAT THAT THERE'S A HUGE CONNECTION BETWEEN EDUCATION AND THE REAL WORLD. >> AND A BIG PART OF THAT IS IT'S 10:00AM I CANNOT THINK OF ANY FIELD THAT DOES NOT TAKE INTO PLACE THEM IN SOME WAY. >> MICRO LACK POWER, PRAISE DUNBAR FROM EARRING THAT REAL WORLD. >> ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY LOVE ABOUT DUNBAR IS THE DIVERSITY AND THE STUDENTS HERE. BOTH WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF FEMALE STUDENTS, AS YOU JUST POINTED OUT, AS WELL AS HITS FROM ALL KINDS OF BACKGROUNDS, REALLY NEED TO START SPREADING OUR WINGS, SO TO SPEAK AND WELCOMING EVERYBODY INTO THE WHOLE WORLD OF STEM AND EDUCATION AND BUSINESS AND BUT A BETTER