Our focus on STEM education has changed how we spend our money and how we use our support staff and volunteers. We use tutors and volunteers to support students in science and math instruction.  We have volunteers work with students in STEM related clubs and activities. Our PTO has invested heavily in technology hardware and software for students and teachers.  We have hired a full time STEM specialist to support planning and instruction throughout the school.  We have also written and received grants from local civic clubs to fund materials for our STEM program.  As a school, we ask for donations of items from parents, local businesses, and the community to obtain items for use in our STEM program.  We also partner with agencies such as NC State University’s Science House and the Civil Air Patrol to obtain items that we otherwise would not be able to purchase such as our professional weather center, aerospace manipulatives, and many probes and sensors that we use in data collection activities.