SunTrust Foundation Makerspace provides a hands-on creative area for girls to design, experiment, build and invent
Studies show that inquiry-based instruction increases long-term remembrance of content and helps students perform better than traditional learners in high-stakes tests. Through this student-centered approach instructor guides, the students with end to end questions posed, methods designed, and data interpreted by the students. The process helps students to actively discover information to support their investigations where on the other hand educators see advancements in problem-solving and collaboration skills.
Dedicated to helping Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (GLOW), the SunTrust Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant for a state-of-the-art makerspace in what GLOW is North Carolina’s only single-gender public charter school.
The school was opened in August 2016 with its inaugural class of 100 sixth graders and expected to reach full enrollment of 725 students in the 2022/23 academic year.
Inquiry-based instruction, a tool to break
Helping students break through gender barriers, GLOW Academy’s SunTrust Foundation Makerspace with tools, equipment, and trained faculty combines a 21st-century science lab, woodshop, computer lab, and art room in a vibrant creative area. Students in grades six through 12 are given the tools and guidance to investigate, experiment, create and invent.
The SunTrust Foundation grant aims to fund workspace modules; safety equipment; mechanical and power tools; materials and equipment for woodworking, metalworking and textile projects; a 3D printer, laser cutter, and robotic workstations; faculty training; staffing and science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) curriculum.
The SunTrust Foundation Makerspace ensures that the GLOWS’s graduates have the skills to better compete and succeed in the modern business world or create businesses of their own.
Embracing Inquiry-based instruction
SunTrust Foundation Makerspace focuses to have a direct and valuable impact on young women as they explore their creativity in STEAM fields.
“We’re committed to improving the well-being of others in our communities, and this partnership will help position GLOW students for a more financially confident future as they gain a holistic education to prepare them for demanding careers,” said Sandra Spiers, Wilmington city president for SunTrust Bank.
The SunTrust Foundation Makerspace is on GLOW Academy’s new 31-acre campus, dedicated to closing the achievement and opportunity gaps for low-income families.
