Middletown High School Agricultural Science Program Gets STEM Grant

MIDDLETOWN, CT — The Middletown public school system has received a $4,950 STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation.

The funds will support the high school veterinary science courses offered in partnership with the Middlesex Community College Veterinary Technology program.
The grant award will support the purchase of two animal mannequins for training in veterinary emergency room scenarios.

Middletown Agriculture Science students in grades 11 and 12 can enroll in the College Career Pathways in Veterinary Technology program and earn up to 5 college credits for their high school courses. Another goal is for students to earn their Pet CPR and Rescuer certification offered through RECOVER, the Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation initiative, which is industry standard in the veterinary profession.

"This grant enables our students to train with industry-standard equipment, bridging the gap between high school and college-level veterinary education," Superintendent of Schools Alberto Vázquez Matos said. "By providing hands-on emergency medical training with these mannequins, we're preparing our students for real-world veterinary careers while they earn college credits."

Toshiba America Foundation’s grants fund projects designed by individual classroom teachers. The "direct-to-teacher" approach brings immediate results because teachers can change the way they teach STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics — subjects because the grant supports equipment for hands-on experiments and inquiry-based approaches to the curriculum, officials said.

"At TAF, we believe that STEM is a lot more fun than just reading a textbook. TAF grants provide teachers with the tools they need to be more effective educators. The grants make the classroom a more exciting place for both teachers and students," officials said.