Florida Power & Light Company has announced its education initiatives for supporting STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning in Florida schools for the 2013-14 academic year.
Teachers can now begin applying for the 2013-14 FPL Teacher Grant Program, which aims to reduce out-of pocket expenses for teachers by providing funding support for energy-related education.
Teacher Grant Program
Teachers in FPL’s service territory are eligible to apply for grants for classroom projects focused on energy and engineering education. Grants range from $500 to $2,500 and applications are due Nov. 15, 2013. Winners will be announced by the end of this year. FPL has awarded more than $170,000 for 160 classroom projects across FPL’s 35-county service territory over the past five years. For more information and to apply for funds, visit www.fpl.com/community/learning/funding. shtml.
Energy Conservation Assembly Show
A fun 25-minute live show for kindergarten through fifth grade students; produced by The National Theatre for Children, “Men in Plaid: The Kilowatt Connection” will delight and entertain students with important messages about energy conservation. This free program is offered to all schools throughout FPL’s service territory. To schedule a show, visit
www.fpl.com/community/learning/show.shtml.
Robotics
FPL has announced plans to sponsor the South Florida FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)Robotics regional competition slated for the spring of 2014. The regional FIRST competition attracts 45-50 high school teams who create robots that perform tasks. Students who participate in the FIRST competition have the opportunity to use their creativity, work in teams, utilize critical thinking and problem solving skills, market themselves and their robots and manage their time in a real-world type setting.
Teacher Workshops
Teachers at schools with a photovoltaic system, or at schools scheduled to receive a system from FPL, are invited to attend fullday workshops to learn how to incorporate energy technology into their teaching plans. FPL provides a $125 stipend to attending teachers to fund their travel and meals for the day. Workshops are open to all teachers in service territory and will be announced Oct. 1, 2013 at www.fpl.com/education.
