Over the summer of 2025, Bear Creek Elementary (BCES) was awarded three grants that have allowed the school's Technology Program to provide students with incredible hands-on learning opportunities.
According to Vicki Nalley, Technology Teacher at BCES, with the combined sum of the grants, the school was able to update the robotics in the Technology program. New kits were purchased to replace old kits that were more than 15-years-old and had been used by well over 1,000 students. The new kits are more advanced and flexible in their use with curriculum-based builds. They also provide students the flexibility to come up with their own solutions for specific challenges. The new kits will be used this year in BCES fourth grade classes, as well as the Robotics Summer Camp program, so all D38 students will have the opportunity to learn with them.
"(The new kits) enable Bear Creek students, as well as Robotics Summer Camp students to engage in hands-on engineering and coding opportunities," Nalley said.
The generous grants came from the Tri-Lakes Women's Club, the Monument Hill Foundation, and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA). The AFCEA says they are a leader in the Colorado Springs community, unifying the area's military, government, industry and academic partners to advance the continuing education of today's young leaders in STEM areas of study. The Tri-Lakes Women's Club and the Monument Hill Foundation are big supporters of D38, providing our teachers with funds for a wide range of programs.
"Frequently, we have to split purchasing up into several rounds over two or three years to do a major upgrade like this. These grants are a huge help to programs like Technology," Nalley said.