"Empowering Future Innovators: Limestone Learning Foundation Fuels STEM Excellence in Schools"
The Limestone Learning Foundation (LLF) was thrilled to fully fund this initiation, providing robust STEM kits for use by students in Grade 9 and 10 Technology Courses at all 10 secondary schools across the Limestone District School Board in the amount of $250,000. These kits extend student learning aligned with the new TAS10, and TAS20 - Technology and the Skilled Trades Grade 9 and 10 Technology courses. These courses are compulsory credits and help fulfil the technology graduation requirement as part of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. There are several additional Grade 9 and 10 courses where students would also have opportunities to access the LLF STEM kits in Communications Technology, Technological Design, and Green Industries, to name a few.
The kits were delivered to schools in the fall of 2024, and include:
- Micro:bits: pocket-sized computers that introduce how software and hardware work together, allowing them to design systems that sense and respond to their environment.
- Micro:bit Climate Action Kits: used with Micro:bits these activities align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, encouraging students to engage in inquiry projects with real-world impact. The class kits include components like motors and sensors, allowing students to design sustainability-related systems, such as their own renewable energy sources explore the United Nations Sustainable Development goals and tackle climate change issues. Select high schools received the Climate Action Kits.
- 3D Printers: used to create product models and prototypes. 3D Printing allows students to efficiently work through their ideas from generating solutions to testing and analyzing prototypes. The speed of these machines allows for multiple passes through the process to repeatedly refine and improve ideas.
- Virtual Reality Headsets will be delivered to schools this Spring. They will have access to ORIGIN (Immersive Link) which provides a virtual learning platform to deliver fully immersive, multi-sensory experiences that enhance the understanding of careers and worksites.
- VEX EXP Robots: Each secondary site has received a VEX EXP robotics classroom bundle. This bundle includes all the necessary components to build the robots, along with a field for facilitating classroom robotics challenges and competitions.
STEM kits broaden exposure for students by providing technology tools that could be used in the classroom and for extra-curriculars, allowing for critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills which prepare students for all pathways after high school.
Robotics and computer technology are no longer niche industries—they are foundational to every employment sector, from agriculture and transportation to construction and healthcare. To thrive in this evolving landscape, students need access to hands-on cutting-edge STEM resources that prepare them for the demands of the future workforce.
With a significant investment of $250,000 from the LLF, learning for students in Grade 9 and 10 technology courses is being transformed. This partnership between the LLF and the Limestone DSB is more than an investment in education—it’s an investment in our students’ futures and the economic vitality of our communities.
By equipping students with essential skills in robotics, coding, and computer technology, we are opening doors to limitless career opportunities. Regardless of their chosen path, these skills are indispensable, as technology continues to shape every aspect of modern life and work. Together, the LLF and Limestone DSB are laying the foundation for a generation of innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders who will drive progress across industries.