Archived Photo from 2019

Education Foundation Grant to Stafford Municipal School District Funds Drone, STEM Education Students ages 11-18 enrolled at Stafford Municipal School District (SMSD) will be using drones donated through a $7,000 grant from the Education Foundation of Harris County in their afterschool and ROTC programs.

The five new drones and backpacks being purchased from the grant will greatly enhance the district’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiatives, according to Cherise Roberts, coordinator of grants and partnerships for the SMSD Education Foundation. The district has also added drones to expand its robotics program.

“The use of drones is an emerging technology that frequently stimulates a student’s interest and may be used to help steer them toward careers in related disciplines,” she said.

Roberts added that early interests in STEM hobbies are often the catalyst that ignite professional pursuits and lead to meaningful and productive careers n computer science, construction project management, petroleum engineering, aviation, digital coding, agriculture and entertainment.

“SMSD is committed to preparing students to compete and excel in the advanced technology and digital space of the 21st century,” Roberts said. “The knowledge, training and skill sets obtained by SMSD students who endeavor to master the drone technology offers students a technology-rich setting to experience and explore in a small way and in the much larger universe of aerodynamics.”