Last week, the district learned it will receive a $500,000 grant to create an innovation lab at Mt. Pleasant High School, where students will work on problem-based learning projects, preparing them for future careers.
The grant is a partnership between Mt. Pleasant High School and the CLARCOR Innovation Center, a leading research and development center for filtration technology recently acquired by Parker Hannifin Corporation Filtration.
Through the grant, high-schoolers will pursue major projects, such as the two well-received escape rooms designed and constructed entirely by students last year.
"This is the future of education, leveraging education and growing business," Mt. Pleasant STEAM administrator and high school principal Ryan B. Jackson said. "It is a testament to everything that is going on with everything from Mechatronics and Project Lead the Way."
Funded by Clark Legacy Foundation, the program was one of many projects funded by the corporation to support education and special improvement efforts to raise the quality of life in areas its employees call home.
"This grant will allow Mt. Pleasant's students to continue the work they have been doing but with greater access to tools and technology," Vice President of Innovation Ryan Pastrana said.
Pastrana worked with the school's administration to apply for the grant.
"Ryan has been an awesome education partner; he gets our vision," Jackson said. "It is an incredible story."
Previously, the two organizations have worked in cooperation to host the Mt. Pleasant STEAM Summit, providing hands-on lessons in science, technology, arts, engineering and mathematics.
Because of the grant, students enrolled in Mt. Pleasant's mechatronics and Project Lead the Way program will have the opportunity to build components for the partnering business, offering students work experience from within the school's walls.
New additions will include special work spaces complete with powerful computers, giving students the opportunity to begin designing products machines and other equipment.
Mt. Pleasant educator Armin Begtrup, who leads both programs, said the grant will first be used to generate the electric infrastructure required to support the new equipment inside the building currently equipped with 50-year-old wiring.
"CLARCOR was one of the first companies that we started talking to develop a partnership," Begtrup said."This allows us to not have to worry about resources and alleviate those concerns and allow us to focus and getting kids excited, intrigued and move forward. This allows us to go for the stars.
He said the funds will play a significant role helping students on their journey to obtain associate degree awarded to the students in the mechatronics program as they compete high school.
"This signifies not only our commitment to STEAM for the county, state and community, it shows that the community is buying into our pursuit," Begtrup said. "We have one less obstacle to be concerned about. Now we can really dive into the teaching and experimentation."
Entering his second year as a teacher at Mt. Pleasant High School, Begtrup said the number of students enrolled in the electronics program have quadrupled.
"We are in a unique opportune moment where these kids, who get this education, are going to be the leaders of this industry as it evolves," Begtrup said. "They are going to be a part of a rapid change. In 20 years from now, they are going to be in their prime, making an impact in thousands of lives. It's exciting, and I know they find it exciting. It's an eye-opener, these kids are starting to realize that this is another avenue, another approach they can take to enriching their lives."
Begtrup said Mt. Pleasant is the ideal environment for the program, giving students opportunities in a field with a growing industry in their own back yard.
As an educator, Begtrup said his own enthusiasm and excitement for the program has increased exponentially with the announcement.
"I think it always tough for kids at that age to understand what engineers do in the real world," Pastrana said. "Giving them insight in what is really going on, and trying to share that with them is something that we have always been about."
Representatives from the research and development team will meet with the high schools and guide them through the operation of the new tools, Pastrana said. "If they have similar passions, we show them there are ways they can do that for a living."
The center has also previously partnered with Columbia State Community College, offering Tennessee Promise students internship opportunities at its 82,000 square-foot facility off Oakland Parkway in Columbia.
"Parker is a believer of being a good corporate citizen and giving back to the community," Pastrana said. "We are trying to do our part in the local area, but this is something that Parker does at their facilities around the world."
A check presentation ceremony is planned to be held during the a meeting of the Maury County School Board 6 p.m. Thursday at Horace O. Porter School.
"Mt. Pleasant is a significant contributor to the growth of Maury County and pushing the region into the future," Jackson said.
In September of 2016, following the summer announcement that Jackson would be the school's new principal, a meeting was held announcing that Mt. Pleasant will become the first K-12 STEAM campus in the nation, grounding the school district's efforts to become a leader in education reform, dedicated to preparing students for a new era of tech-driven work environments.
The reveal added a notch to the school district's belt as another step toward the community developed "Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness," making sure all the district's resources go toward preparing students for life after graduation.
"There is no better symbol and indication that we are heading in the right direction," Jackson said "Mt. Pleasant is serving as a trailblazer to this STEAM movement, and this is the future of education."
©2017 The Daily Herald (Columbia, Tenn.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
