Crook County School District receives 3 of Meta Prineville Data Centers’ 17 2023 Community Action Grants
(Update: Adding full list of Meta grants)
PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Meta and the Prineville Data Centers announced another round of 17 Community Action Grants on Tuesday. Crook County School District was awarded $53,500 for three programs at Barnes Butte Elementary, Crook County Middle School and Crook County High School.
Each grant provides additional opportunities for hands-on learning in science, welding, robotics, and woodshop classes.
“We are so grateful for our friends at Meta and the Prineville Data Center. They always find opportunities every year to invest in our schools and improve the educational experience for our students and teachers. Their grants help us replace aging computers and equipment, buy robotics kits, and fund our Career & Technical Education programs. Our schools are more successful, thanks to Meta,” said Superintendent Dr. Sara Johnson.
The grants funded by Meta include the following:
$5,200 for ExSiTe Science Program at Barnes Butte Elementary
The ExSiTe Science program is a school-wide effort to improve reading and science comprehension with weekly science projects. It will include computer science lessons, videos and resources for classrooms, OMSI science assemblies, and a Family Science Night to showcase student learning with Lego robotics, memory games, kinesthetic puzzles, chemical reactions, physics, and centrifugal force.
$18,300 for New CNC Plasma Machine at Crook County High School
The Ag Science and welding programs are excited to replace the outdated CNC Plasma machine with a new one. The new machine will allow students to efficiently cut various kinds of metal in a wide range of thicknesses, such as stainless steel, aluminum, and copper. They often use the CNC Machine to make signs, gates, fire pits, and other creative projects.
$30,000 for Maker Spaces for Crook County Middle School WoodShop
This grant replaces the workstation tables students use in 6th-grade robotics and shop classes at Crook County Middle School. They have better organization and more space for students to work on coding, robotics, construction, and tool safety. Meta started its Community Action Grant program in 2011 and has invested in Crook County Schools every year since. Total grant awards in the last 12 years have reached $1.6 million.
Here's the full list of Meta grants:
| Crook County School District | $30,000.00 | To expand and improve maker spaces for middle school wood shop classes. |
| Crook County School District | $18,300.00 | To upgrade the high school's CNC plasma tables and cutting systems, to include parts and software. |
| Crook County School District | $5,200.00 | To enhance science activities for students and families, including hosting school assemblies from Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), science probes, curriculum, family nights, Lego Robotics, memory games, and kinesthetic puzzles. |
| Family Access Network Foundation | $5,000.00 | To support children in Crook County through educational and home assistance, in coordination with the Crook County School District. |
| CASA of Central Oregon | $15,000.00 | To support training and technology for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA volunteers) serving children in foster care in Crook County. |
| MountainStar Family Relief Nursery | $12,000.00 | To improve the technology, workspaces, and office equipment used by students and staff. |
| Central Oregon Forest Stewardship foundation | $20,000.00 | To launch community conversations about dry forest management in the face of climate change, including researcher-led field trips that showcase successful projects and areas in need of forest restoration. |
| Central Oregon STEM Hub - High Desert Education Service District | $8,000.00 | To provide STEM enrichment for Crook County Middle School students, including CTE career-connected learning. |
| Crook County 4-H | $6,500.00 | To support 4-H volunteers, outreach and events to help youth develop leadership skills and connect with the community. |
| Crook County Foundation | $7,500.00 | To connect people through music with a Picnic in the Park free concert series. |
| The Father's Group | $15,000.00 | To develop a Juneteenth event in the Prineville community aimed at providing an educational, fun, and safe celebration. |
| Every Child Central Oregon | $10,000.00 | To support technology that helps connect Prineville with the foster community, increasing new foster homes inquiries and improving support to staff and children. |
| HELPERS | $5,000.00 | To assist local Native Americans in reconnecting to their heritage and culture. |
| Humane Society of the Ochocos | $5,000.00 | To improve technology needed to support and operate the animal shelter and its supporting Thrift Store. |
| Kids Intervention and Diagnostic Services (dba KIDS Center) | $7,500.00 | To support child abuse evaluation and advocacy services for children who have experienced abuse, and provide accessible prevention training for community members to reduce future incidences of abuse. |
| Crook County Kids Inc. | $20,000.00 | To provide students with tools and education to maintain positive self-image and confidence to succeed in life, by teaching kids about resiliency, mental fortitude, problem solving and improving social and emotional skills. |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon & SW Washington | $7,500.00 | To support a customized software system for the Guest Family Registry Project: a full reconfiguration and enhancement of existing software responsible for managing the family journey anp roving support for families to access RH services. |
| The Latino Community Association | $7,500.00 | To support local Latino events and operating support for the Prineville office. |
| Think Wild | $5,000.00 | To partner with science teachers in Crook County to develop and provide in-class and outdoor environmental education programming. |
