Dot Foods launches second year of STEM program with 16 West Central Illinois school districts

MOUNT STERLING, Ill. —  Dot Foods, Inc., is launching its second year of its Focus on STEM program, aimed at providing West Central Illinois school districts with the tools and education necessary to develop science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.

Throughout the 2024-25 school year, Dot employees, in collaboration with representatives from the Learning Technology Center of Illinois, will facilitate four teacher training sessions and provide grants to participating school districts to support the development of their STEM programs. When the program launched in May 2023, Dot provided $50,000 in grants and $100,000 in grants for the 2023-24 school year.

Participating schools and school districts are:

• Beardstown High School (Beardstown)
• Blessed Sacrament Catholic School (Quincy)
• Brown County Middle School (Mount Sterling)
• Central CUSD 3 (Camp Point)
• Dallas City (Dallas City)
• Franklin (Franklin)
• Griggsville-Perry Elementary and High School (Griggsville)
• Liberty Community School District 2 (Liberty)
• Meredosia-Chambersburg High School (Meredosia)
• Payson Seymour High School (Payson)
• Pikeland CUSD 10 (Pittsfield)
• Quincy Junior High School (Quincy)
• Rushville-Industry High School (Rushville)
• Southeastern (Augusta)
• St. Mary School (Mount Sterling)
• St. Peter School (Quincy)

Dot added three schools to its cohort for 2024-25 — Rushville-Industry High School, Blessed Sacrament Catholic School and Liberty Community School District — bringing the number of participants to 16.

The first training session of the 2024-25 school year took place on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Dot headquarters in Mount Sterling. During this session, participants explored the power of phenomena-based learning to engage students in the Next Generation Science Standards. This educational approach uses real-world phenomena or complex problems as the foundation for teaching and learning, emphasizing that students can better understand science by investigating everyday events around them.

The second training session took place on Oct. 29 focusing on NASA-inspired virtual missions. This interactive workshop aims to bring the immersive STEM experiences of the Challenger Learning Center at Heartland Community College directly into the classroom. Other training sessions are scheduled for Feb. 4 and March 25.

The growing demand for STEM-related jobs drives Dot’s commitment to STEM education. According to the National Science Board, STEM occupations are expected to grow by 7% from 2022 to 2032, outpacing the growth in non-STEM occupations. Dot aims to ensure that students in West Central Illinois are well-prepared for these future opportunities, whether they pursue careers locally or nationally.

“We are thrilled to begin the second year of this program and our STEM workshops. This program’s mission is to guide the next generation of innovators toward rewarding careers by providing resources for high-quality STEM education through strategic partnerships with local schools,” said Suzy Parn, director of Dot’s corporate charitable oversight committee, in a press release. “With STEM being a rapidly expanding field full of opportunities, we aim to ensure students have the crucial skills they’ll need for their future careers, whether they choose to enter the workforce after high school, continue to college or pursue graduate studies.”

Before launching this program in May 2023, Dot’s charitable group spent a year researching how best to support STEM education in the surrounding districts. Feedback from area schools highlighted the need for funding to purchase supplies and access to STEM education training for teachers. In response, Dot developed its Focus on STEM program to provide these resources. In the last year, the company has also developed a strategic plan for its STEM program to expand its reach in the region.

Throughout the 2023-24 school year, the program offered five teacher training sessions, provided grants to participating school districts and donated 13 drones to 13 West-Central Illinois school districts. Dot contributed LEGO educational kits, 3D printers, robots and microbits to each participating district, giving students hands-on experience with coding and digital creation.

“We’re proud of the impact this program has already made, and we remain deeply committed to supporting students as they develop the skills that will shape the future of innovation,” Parn said. “By investing in STEM education, we’re investing in the leaders and problem-solvers of tomorrow.”