The Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) has just received a contribution from Generac Power Systems to help expand STEM programming in the Portland Public Schools. The funding will be used to purchase sets of Bee-Bots for each of the 10 elementary schools in the district. Bee-Bots are an interactive learning tool to introduce PreK-2nd grade students to some of the basic concepts of coding. It can help them learn about robotics, sequencing, programming, and overall problem solving skills.

“We are grateful to Generac for their support which will allow us to purchase Bee-Bots for our elementary schools. Young students love to engage with this push-button robot and at the same time they learn computational thinking skills in a playful way,” said Courtney Graffius, the technology integration coordinator for the Portland Public Schools.

Bee-Bots are one element of a range of new curriculum, programming, and supports that the Portland Public Schools are rolling out to increase rigorous and engagement STEM learning.

“STEM education is a primary focus area for us in Generac’s community giving,” said Emily Eschner of Generac Power Systems in South Portland. “We are proud to be able to invest in our public schools and help get new technology in the hands of the next generation of innovators.”

Generac Power Systems, headquartered in Waukesha, WI, has a South Portland office location that employs over 100 people in their Generac Clean Energy Solutions business group, primarily in engineering and technical disciplines. Generac designs and sells solar + storage battery solutions for homeowners and small businesses with the goal of  accelerating the transition to clean energy.