Monroe Elementary School unveiled a new STEAM-focused lab at a ribbon-cutting event Friday.
The Foundation Lab is one of 17 labs that will be built at all Norman Public School elementary sites. The lab includes a content hub with lessons and activities for pre-K through fifth grade.
Monroe principal Andrea Crowe said the Foundation Lab site has been in the works for over a year and will serve as an extension of the classroom.
“The Foundation Lab is just a space where we can go and explore that at a deeper level and do bigger projects and have access to materials that we may not have access to in the regular classroom,” Crowe said.
The STEAM labs are funded by the 2023 bond issue approved by Norman residents, while a $500,000 donation by the NPS Foundation helped fund the lab’s curriculum and materials.
“Without the grant and the bond, we’re not where we are,” Office 1 Board member Dirk O’Hara said. “That $500,000 from the Foundation pushes everything forward much quicker.”
Crowe said two Monroe teachers received training on the lab’s curriculum and materials and returned to teach the rest of the staff.
“They’ve gone to that extended training, and they’ve come back and trained our whole staff so that we’re equipped to use the lab and make sure that all of our kids have access,” Crowe said.
Torrie Warren, one of the teachers who attended the training, said it helped her get comfortable in the lab before students started using the space earlier this year. She said the labs hands-on approach allows students to actively engage with what is being taught in the classroom.
“It was just a time for us to be able to get hands-on with the materials before we actually got them,” Warren said. “It helps students to be able to connect just a little bit more to what’s being taught.”
This story was edited by Natalie Armour.
