Winooski Middle & High School receives $15k in equipment through the Educate and Innovate Initiative
Braintree Elementary students using equipment awarded through the Educate and Innovate Initiative at last year’s Fall STEAM showcase. Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery.
Winooski Middle & High School was one of two Vermont schools awarded funding through the Educate and Innovate Initiative (EII), a programmatic partnership between the Vermont Agency of Education and the Department of Liquor and Lottery, Vermont Lottery.
Winooski Middle & High School and Swanton Elementary School will receive $15,000 worth of equipment to upgrade their Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) curriculums.
All profits from the Vermont Lottery go toward education. Two schools are chosen each year for EII through an application process facilitated by the Agency of Education, and all school districts in the state of Vermont are invited to apply.
“The Educate and Innovate Initiative is one of the most tangible examples of how Vermont Lottery benefits education. We often hear that lottery profits go to education, but this additional funding from the lottery marketing budget makes that a tangible, long-lasting reality for each of the school districts that are chosen. As a father of four, the future of Vermont’s education is extremely important to me,” said Deputy Commissioner Andrew Collier.
Specifically, Winooski Middle & High School will use the equipment to upgrade its computer-based music program, allowing students to create, record, and produce their own music and audio recordings.
Mikayla Keleman, a music teacher at Winooski Middle & High School, said the computer-based music class is a way for students to integrate their music interests into classroom learning.
“I teach students that want to be rappers but don’t want to be in chorus class; students who want to compose symphonies but don’t have the resources or time, and students who like to make beats but don’t have a way to go further with them,” said Keleman. “There should be a way for students to learn about what they are interested in – this class offers that opportunity.”
The equipment will allow students to create projects such as podcasts, songs, spoken word recordings, and music videos, building the foundational skills for careers in music, journalism, and other creative professions.
Until now, students in the computer-based music program have been using Keleman’s personal equipment and salvaged electronics.
“The new computers have been configured with tech specs designed specifically for audio engineering that will drastically change the speed and quality of the music our students are currently making,” Keleman said. “Along with new audio equipment, new digital controllers offer an innovative and intuitive pathway to creating music, which will be especially transformative for our multilingual learners.”
Swanton Elementary School is using the award to enhance its Merge EDU programs. Merge EDU uses augmented and virtual reality to create 3D objects that students can hold and manipulate. With EII, the school will receive a subscription to Merge EDU and supplementary equipment for all K-6 classrooms.
Later this year, once Winooski Middle & High School and Swanton Elementary implement their programs, the Agency of Education and Vermont Lottery will host a Fall STEAM Showcase at each school.
Students, faculty, parents, and community members will be invited.