Varsity Lakes Middle School technology instructor receives grant | News, Sports, Jobs

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A Varsity Lakes Middle School technology instructor was one of 40 educators who received a Vernier Software & Technology 40th anniversary grant of $1,000.

“I am honored and pleased to be a recipient, especially from such a quality company as Vernier,” Laurie Smiley said. “I know the products received will be of high quality and provide enrichment for our students for multiple years. In the past we have used Vernier’s materials tester to test student-designed and built bridges, and have explored alternative energy with their LEGO add-ons and the Wind kits. Come January, we will be building underwater robots, so the Vernier equipment will be a wonderful addition, helping us with our data collection and analyses.”

The 40 grantees were selected from more than 800 submissions and chosen by a panel of current science and STEM educators, consultants and Vernier tech support team, which comprised the Grantee Selection Committee. The grant was open to all K-12 educators actively teaching at an United States educational institution.

As a recipient, Smiley will receive $1,000 worth of Vernier technology of her choosing, an annual license for Vernier Graphical Analysis Pro, as well as three hours of virtual professional development to further support her teaching.

“With more than 800 total submissions, we were truly blown away by the response we received from educators,” CEO of Vernier Software & Technology John Wheeler said in a prepared statement. “For 40 years, Vernier Software & Technology has supported hands-on science exploration, and we are excited to now support these 40 educators–from five elementary schools, eight middle schools, 23 high schools, and four colleges–as they use data-collection technology with their students.”

Smiley said she received an email from Vernier, inviting her to apply for the grant, as she has dealt with the company previously. She had to complete a short application, which touched upon the students composition and needs, as well as why she was interested in the grant and how it would impact Varsity Lakes Middle School.

“I was quite excited to be given the opportunity,” she said. “We intend to invest in some data collection sensors and software to complement our curriculum.”

Smiley, a career changer having spent multiple decades as a CPA, started in the schools as a nearly full-time volunteer before moving to substituting and later obtaining her teaching certification. This is her sixth year teaching full-time, all of which have been spent at Varsity Lakes Middle School.

“Although I was hired as a business education instructor, the courses were technically coded as engineering and technology, so I added the certification to my teaching license,” Smiley said. “It is a decision I have never regretted, as I have a passion for the subject. I love the vast amount of hands-on, project based learning opportunities within the field of technology.”

The excitement is her favorite part of teaching technology, as she loves seeing the reaction of her students when they learn they can work together to do a task, initially completely foreign to them at the start of a unit.

“I have watched my students build robots, design a foot orthosis, experiment with alternative energy, create wooden cube puzzles, build, and crush, bridges, design skyscrapers, create race cars from ‘trash,’ build large structures with no connectors, launch rockets, code microbits, and create many 3D projects — including a prosthetic hand — just to name some of their projects,” Smiley said. “This multitude of student experiences would not happen without the extensive support of the administration team at Varsity and the district as a whole.”

Smiley said the majority of her student demographic would be considered underserved in the field of technology.

“Most identify as minority, and my female students sometimes outnumber, and often outperform, my males – yet they manage to succeed, even when not accomplished until after multiple failures,” she said. “These successes in defiance of expectations helps my students begin to appreciate the possibilities that can and do exist.”