Teacher: Erin Comden
School: Branson School
District: RE-82 Branson School
District Website: bransonbearcats.org
School Address: 101 Saddlerock Dr
Grade Level: Kindergarten and 1st
Region: Southeast
Project Title: STEM at the Stadium
Category: Field Trips & Outdoor Learning
Amount Requested: $1,328

Project Description:
April 25th is the 13th Annual STEM Day at Coors Field! This pre-game event incorporates STEM concepts into science experiments. Branson School would like to take our K-8th graders for this educational event! 'STEM at the Stadium' will be an event that several students in our school would not normally be able to attend with their own families. It will be an exciting and memorable time for those who might not otherwise have an opportunity like this! We are requesting $1,328 to fund this project.

Branson School has students from Colorado and New Mexico. We are 2 miles from the New Mexico border and have a town population of 65 people. We have a school and post office, but must travel to either Raton or Trinidad for groceries. Our students travel 2 hours round trip daily to attend Branson, but are willing to drive that far for the quality education that our school provides.

Project Justification:
Our tiny, rural school has only 67 students, K-12th grade. Our student population is about 27% Hispanic/not identifying as white, and about 60% of our student body is considered low-income. Las Animas county has one of the highest populations of families receiving government assistance. Because of these statistics, it has always been the goal of Branson School to offer a wide range of activities which ignite curiosity, foster a love for learning, and expand students' horizons.

We believe providing experiential learning opportunities makes abstract concepts tangible. In the past, we have participated in robotics competitions and held an annual Sciencepalooza. It is very difficult to expose our students to fun and engaging STEM activities in rural Southern Colorado. When we saw the opportunity to attend STEM in the Stadium, we jumped on board with it! This grant would relieve the financial burden on our district and allow for our younger students to experience the fun and excitement of a baseball game combined with science in action.

Budget Breakdown:
43 student tickets and 6 adult tickets: $588
43/6 lunches: $490
Fuel for bus: $250
Total: $1,328

Photos:
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