Delavan-Darien School District selected for fab labs equipment funding
District is one of just 21 selected statewide to received grant
WEDC Secretary and CEO Mark Hogan announces a $14,000 grant to support Delavan-Darien’s Fab Labs.
DELAVAN, WI. – Delavan-Darien School District has received a $14,000 matching grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to help expand fabrication laboratory (“fab lab”) opportunities to help students develop the key skills they need to succeed in the workforce.
The grant was presented to the district on Tuesday, April 25, which Governor Scott Walker declared as “Fab Lab Day” in Wisconsin. Among the speakers at the district’s grant ceremony, which was held at Delavan-Darien High School, were Superintendent Dr. Robert Crist, Principal Jim Karedes, District Director of Careers and Occupations Cindy Yager, Technology Education Teacher Mike Fellin, WEDC Secretary & CEO Mark Hogan, Wisconsin Senator Steve Nass, Randy Hulke, Executive Director, Discovery Center at UW-Stout, and Greg Herker, Fab Lab Manager for Gateway Technical College and Board Chair of the United States Fab Lab Network.
“On behalf of the state of Wisconsin, I congratulate Delavan-Darien School District for being one of 21 recipients statewide of our fab lab grants, which are helping students develop the skills they will need for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Governor Walker, a 1986 graduate of Delavan-Darien High School. “Delavan-Darien Schools have developed an outstanding plan for its fab lab program that is going to result in more innovation in the classrooms and the community, and WEDC is proud to support the district’s efforts.”
“The rationale to bring Fab Labs to the Delavan-Darien School District was brought about by a strong desire from our community businesses to help our students become college and career ready,” Yager said. “Our advisory team agreed that the Fab Lab was a great way to do this. Not only do the labs help to train students for career readiness, they also enhance students ability to improve their understanding of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) curriculum. The grant will assist us with equipment purchases for instructional and educational purposes in our fab labs, which are high-tech workshops with the latest industry equipment used in a wide range of manufacturing facilities.”
The 2017 Fab Lab Grant award allows Delavan-Darien to purchase a CNC Router for the high school’s Comet Creations Fab Lab. It will also help the district implement its goal of providing 3-D printers and scanners in the elementary and middle school libraries. These 3-D printers will become the cornerstone of “Maker Spaces” that will allow students to study, design and create projects. The Maker Spaces will also provide a place for teachers to develop project-based activities across the curriculum and subject areas.
Superintendent Crist said improving STEM spaces is critical to improving schools and improving our economy.
“We can’t stop,” he said. “We have to continually try to improve (these spaces) in order to meet the needs of the next group of students so they can do what they want to do,” in their careers.
WEDC provided grants of up to $25,000 to individual school districts, or up to $50,000 to consortiums of two or more districts, for the creation and/or expansion of fab labs. The funds may be used to purchase equipment used for instructional and educational purposes by elementary, middle, junior high, or high school students. Applicants must match the amount of funding provided by WEDC.
This is the second round of funding for the Fab Labs Grants. Governor Walker’s 2015-17 state budget included $500,000 to fund the initial round of grants. In response to an overwhelming number of applications in that first year, WEDC provided another $100,000 for the program, and in May 2016, grants of up to $25,000 were awarded to 25 school districts.
Because of the important role that fab labs play in student training and workforce development, Governor Walker’s 2017-19 budget calls for another $1 million in fab lab funding over the next two years.
WEDC’s fab labs funding helps give students hands-on experience, allowing them to put into practice concepts they have learned in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) courses.
Fab labs have the potential to benefit individual students, school districts and the state’s economy as a whole. For more information, visit www.inwisconsin.com/fablabs
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About the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) leads economic development efforts for the state by advancing and maximizing opportunities in Wisconsin for businesses, communities and people to thrive in a globally competitive environment. Working with more than 600 regional and local partners, WEDC develops and delivers solutions representative of a highly responsive and coordinated economic development network. Visit www.inwisconsin.com or follow WEDC on Twitter @_InWisconsin to learn more.
