The Department of Defense Education Activities (DoDEA) has awarded $250,000 to Kailua Intermediate for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) opportunities and college readiness initiatives.

“Community partnerships play a vital role in supporting the educational experience of our students, and we appreciate the generosity shown by the Department of Defense Education Activities program,” said Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on Kailua Intermediate’s students and community.”

The grant will help Kailua Intermediate School support efforts towards STEM achievement, which will include in-class supports, tutoring and extracurricular STEM activities. These initiatives will be supported by professional development that focuses on evidence-based strategies including universal design for learning, project-based learning and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) strategies.

“We are trying to close our school’s achievement gap and put our students on the right paths for college and career success,” shared Principal Lisa DeLong. “We are so thankful to receive this grant that will fund a variety of exciting initiatives and programs like a Cybersecurity Club, robotics, a universal mathematics screener to better assess students, and much more.”

Last year, the Campbell-Kapolei Complex Area received a $749,000 DoDEA grant for STEM learning opportunities at Ewa Beach, Iroquois Point and Keone’ula elementary schools. In 2015, the Complex Area also received a $1.5 million DoDEA grant that also focused on academic achievement using Project Lead the Way, a comprehensive research-based STEM curriculum.

To date, the department has received more than $6 million in DoDEA grants.