WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) announced today that St. Mary’s County Public Schools has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, the
maximum amount given to any school system in the country. The grant awards were based on the number of military-connected students, which total 35 percent of students in St. Mary’s County Public Schools for the 2011-2012 school year.

“As one of the school districts in our nation with the largest number of military-connected students, I’m pleased St. Mary’s County Public Schools has received this $2.5 million grant from the Department of Defense,” stated Congressman Hoyer. “This funding will enrich our STEM education programs, and help our students develop problem-solving and leadership skills. Investing in STEM education is critical to our nation’s ability to out-educate and out-innovate our competitors, which is why I helped secure $487,000 for the STEM Academy in St. Mary’s County in 2008 and have continued to make STEM investments a priority in the Make It In America jobs plan I’m leading in Congress.”

“I’d like to thank St. Mary’s County Public Schools for their commitment to STEM education, as well as NAVAIR leadership for partnering with our local school system to develop world-class STEM programs in our community,” continued Congressman Hoyer. “I will continue to work with federal, state, and local officials to ensure we can continue to make these investments here in St. Mary’s County and provide our students with the education they need to succeed.”

“This is by far one of the largest grants, if not the largest ever, that St. Mary’s County Public Schools has received and this will transform how we deliver instruction to our students,” stated Dr. Michael J. Martirano, Superintendant of St. Mary’s County Public Schools.

The grant will implement Project Based Learning in all science classrooms, Kindergarten through Grade 12, to support STEM for All initiatives. Through Project-Based Learning, students are presented with real world challenges and use interactive technology to engage in problem-solving, planning, decision making, and hypothesis testing. Students also develop leadership skills as they work in small collaborative groups.