PPG announced a partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org to support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for students in 10 middle and high schools in five communities where PPG operates.

Aiming to equip teachers with the tools they need to provide their students with an understanding of, and exposure to, the possibilities in STEM, the partnership provided grants to enhance each school’s STEM education programs and mark the recent Teacher Appreciation Week.

The grants reached more than 3,500 students at the following schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; Huntsville, Alabama; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Oak Creek, Wisconsin:

• Benjamin Banneker High School
• Camp Creek Middle School
• Southern Guilford High School
• Jackson Middle School
• McNair Junior High School
• Columbia High School
• Oak Creek West Middle School
• Edgewood Elementary
• Schiller STEAM Academy
• Perry Traditional Academy

“We are inspired by the passion and devotion these teachers have to enrich the minds of their young students through STEM education,” said Malesia Dunn, executive director, PPG Foundation and corporate global social responsibility. “We’re proud to partner with AdoptAClassroom.org for a second year to provide students with the tools and programs they need to be successful.”

“The impact was profound,” said Vicki Ammer, Perry Traditional Academy teacher and grant recipient in Pittsburgh. “Students looked forward to hearing about what was planned for the grant and were engaged and excited. They looked forward to learning because, for the first time, they felt like they had access to some of the things students have at other schools.”

With the Foundation’s grant, Perry Traditional Academy was able to purchase a variety of STEM-related tools to benefit more than 100 of its students, which is nearly a third of the school’s student population.

The programs implemented by each school increased overall student engagement in STEM by 25 percent, according to AdoptAClassroom.org.

“In addition to student academic impact, the grants also have increased the morale of both teachers and students,” said Carolyn Aberman, chief corporate partnerships and marketing officer, AdoptAClassroom.org.