Dunham Fund Awards $192,000 Grant to Aurora, Illinois-based St. Paul Lutheran School
Aurora, Illinois (PRWEB) March 30, 2017 -- Filled with excitement during the school’s very first STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Night, St. Paul Lutheran School’s staff added to the festive atmosphere by formally receiving a $192,000 grant from the Dunham Fund on March 21.
Among those participating were Aurora Mayor Robert J. O’Connor, St. Paul’s Senior Pastor Danny Tutwiler and St. Paul’s Principal Diane Katz. Katz explained that the grant is being used to help the private Christian school finance a new science lab, new SMART Boards in all classrooms, a new updated computer lab with touchscreens, one-to-one Chromebooks from kindergarten up to eighth grade, new laptops for the staff and an improved infrastructure to handle all the technological equipment.
“The Dunham Grant has been a blessing to our church and school,” she said. “It has given us the means to become a STEM integrated Christian school. The students will become better problem solvers and be better prepared for their future. This grant has also provided us the resources and technology that we can bless our community friends when they join us for Summer Camp.”
Mark Truemper, Dunham Fund Advisor, was glad that the grant will financially support the school’s STEM program.
“The Dunham Fund looks for opportunities to enhance the quality of education provided to the children of Aurora so they will be able to adapt to the workforce of tomorrow,” he said. “We believe that through the integration of a STEM program to supplement the current core educational program at St. Paul, we will be helping to provide the tools necessary for these children to succeed in their future education and careers.”
Additionally, the school received a $700 grant from NEED (National Energy Education Development Project). According to its website, NEED’s mission “is to promote an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs.“
As part of this grant’s requirement, the school had to present a STEM night. So, the school’s fourth through eighth graders used the knowledge they learned from their STEM classes and demonstrated many projects including an egg drop, working robotics and a mini-wind turbine.
Katz is grateful for the support from the church, parent volunteers and the organizations that provided the grants.
“As a STEM integrated Christian school, the whole teaching staff that work with preschool through eighth grade have been focused on getting STEM into all areas of our curriculum this year,” she said. “I want to thank the Dunham Grant and the NEED Grant for making this possible.”
When it comes to the infinite beauty, mystery and challenging questions that draw out the human curiosity that science presents, Pastor Danny Tutwiler gives overall thanks and praise to God.
“The Creator is the author of science and we honor Him the more we grow to understand the complexities and beauties of His creation,” Tutwiler said.
About the Dunham Fund:
Established by John C. Dunham in 1996; funded in 2007 in accordance with the provisions of Mr. Dunham’s trust; and nurtured during the intervening years by Mr. Dunham and a board of personally appointed advisors, the Dunham Fund honors Mr. Dunham’s life and philanthropy through grants to Aurora, Illinois area organizations that have the vision and programs to help fulfill Mr. Dunham’s dream of “making the world a more comfortable, safer place for mankind to live and prosper.”
The Dunham Fund seeks grant applications from organizations that — like Mr. Dunham — encourage innovation and collaboration in educational and community development programs and projects to effect positive change in the Dunham Fund service area.
About St. Paul Lutheran Church and School:
St. Paul is a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation and was founded by a group of German immigrants in 1857. The church offers a variety of weekend worship services in English and Spanish. Founded in 1865, St. Paul Lutheran School has provided a quality Christian education in Aurora and the surrounding Fox-Valley community. This long history demonstrates the commitment we have for nurturing and growing generations of leaders. St. Paul is a state-recognized school that also carries a voluntary accreditation through the National Lutheran Schools Accreditation, a rigorous process that requires verification of ongoing improvements. For more information, visit the school’s website: https://www.stpaulauroraschool.org.
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Marie Lazzara, JJR Marketing, http://jjrmarketing.com, +1 (630) 400-3361, [email protected]
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