FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Lori Trent, PAST Foundation - ltrent@pastfoundation.org
March 22, 2023
PAST Leads STEM Days with Columbus City Schools
COLUMBUS, Ohio – PAST Foundation is proud to announce the launch of STEM Days in Columbus City Schools (CCS). This program is designed to level the playing field for urban students in STEM careers, particularly those from populations that have lower representation in the STEM workforce, such as females, students of color, economically disadvantaged, and English language learners.
STEM Days will focus on two critical issues that impede access to STEM careers: preparedness in STEM and experience and exposure to STEM careers and the educational path to access them. To help with STEM awareness and identity formation, PAST will launch STEM Days at four CCS schools: Starling PreK-8, Westmoor Middle School, Wedgewood Middle School, and Hilltonia Middle School. Efforts will focus on students in grades 6, 7, and 8 and will leverage STEM kits supported by Battelle and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty’s STEM 2022-Equity in the STEM Workforce grant.
“A highly-skilled STEM educated workforce is essential to ensuring U.S. competitiveness and leadership in a rapidly changing global economy, and I am proud to have shepherded critical investments to support enhanced STEM learning in Central Ohio and across this country,” Congresswoman Joyce Beatty said. “The PAST Foundation’s work will be critical to expanding opportunities for historically underrepresented communities in STEM and ensure our students at Columbus City Schools can realize their full potential in these high-demand careers.”
The STEM days will offer CCS middle school students an opportunity to strengthen their skills and develop a better understanding of the concepts necessary for a career in STEM. Professionals from the STEM industry will be on hand to demonstrate several STEM-centered mobile units and connect students to real-world applications and experiences.
Our first STEM Days event happened on March 13th and 14th at Starling Elementary. We are excited to bring STEM Days to Columbus City Schools and we are confident that this program will open up a world of opportunities to our students and help them realize their potential in the STEM workforce.
“We are very excited to launch this experience with Starling PreK-8 with whom PAST has enjoyed a partnership for nearly 10 years,” said Annalies Corbin, President & CEO of PAST Foundation. “To be able to create and test these kits with an invested partner will only make our product even more relevant.”
If you would like to learn first-hand PAST’s impact in Central Ohio and beyond, use this link to schedule a visit or contact us at info@pastfoundation.org
About PAST Foundation:
PAST, a non-profit organization, is a leader in designing innovative educational opportunities across the nation and around the world, bringing problem-based learning to educators and experiential programs to students. During PAST’s 22 years, we have impacted hundreds of thousands of students and educators while engaging hundreds of businesses and industry leaders. Building a community of learners that helps students prepare to solve the world’s problems is our core outcome.
PAST was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for its Excellence in Innovation in the STEM 2026 vision report, being the only Ohio educational entity included in this publication. In 2021, PAST’s Innovation Lab was featured in Forbes Magazine as a promising example to “Re-imagine High School” and also recognized by the White House Summit on High School Design in 2015.
Connect with us at www.pastfoundation.org and learn how to link learning to life.