By Teresa Moore

The Tribune

 

Some Ironton High School engineering students are getting an early Christmas present from the Walmart Foundation, ICAN! Corporate Partners and the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.

The school has gotten a $2,226 grant to purchase rocket kits for incorporation into a Kinematics unit for the engineering students.

Students will create a vehicle to learn important aspects of motion and freefall, performing an activity that will help them to understand the kinematics concepts involved in projectile motion.

The equipment can further be used to create math and science experiments for trajectory, velocity, aerodynamics, pneumatics, as well as force and motion.

Ival Shields, who teaches the engineering class through Project Lead The Way, said the grant will allow students the opportunity to see and do and not just read about engineering in a book.

“I think its neat for the kids to get a hands-on experience in a real-world situation instead of just learning in a classroom,” Shields said.

The grants were designed to support science, technology and engineering, math and medicine (STEMM) in the classroom, according to a prepared statement from the Foundation For Appalachian Ohio.

“The future growth of our economy is going to be directly connected to how well we prepare students today with the intellectual and technical skills to become tomorrow’s problem solvers,” David Gose, regional general manager for Walmart’s southern Ohio region, said. “Walmart is proud to continue its support of FAO and its mission to engage students in Appalachia in a more rigorous STEMM education that will be the cornerstone for future academic and professional success.”

Ironton is one of three high schools that got such a grant this year. Dawson-Bryant and South Point also got grants.

“I would encourage students to participate in Project Lead The Way,” Shields said. “Its an exciting program and it gets kids involved in engineering in high school, so they have a better understanding of engineering when they get to college.”