RAY SCHOOL
HANOVER, N.H. — Bob Stone, a fifth grade teacher at the Ray School in Hanover, was awarded the Daughters of the American Revolution Helen Pouch Memorial Fund Classroom Grant by the Reprisal Chapter NSDAR of Newport.
Stone was one of 51 awards given nationally to classroom teachers for a proposed classroom project. He received certificate and a check for $500 to be used toward his project.
In Stone’s fifth grade math and science classroom, students have worked to create what they call the Tinker Table. The Tinker Table and surrounding shelves have a variety of self-guided and fun science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities. The DAR grant supported a Cosmo robot and new iPad, which are both fun to use and easy to program. The Cosmo is a cute, but powerful, programmable robot that allows students to explore computer coding by having the robot lead them through games and activities. Students can also use block coding to program the robot to drive around the room, find objects through the built in wireless camera, and have the robot interact with objects and people in the room.
The idea of the Tinker Table was inspired by two remarkable facts that were relayed to Stone about tech careers. The first is that according to catalyst.org, only about 18% of the students who earn bachelor’s degrees in engineering or computer science are women. By providing opportunities for students to become interested in science, tech, and engineering at a young age, he believes that more female students will continue to be enthusiastic about STEM fields throughout their educational careers, especially if those STEM activities involve positive teamwork experiences.
The second is that according to Code.org, there are always about 100,000 open positions in our country in the field of computer coding, most of which have a starting salary of $100,000. Companies such as Google, Amazon and Facebook simply have more open positions than qualified candidates.
By exposing students to rich opportunities, incorporating peer interactions, and making the activities fun, Stone hopes to inspire a generation of future engineers, mathematicians, and computer programmers who will be ready for the challenges the 21st century will have in store for them.
Stone has been teaching for over 20 years, and has taught in city schools in Massachusetts, rural schools in Vermont, and now in Hanover, right down the road from Dartmouth College. As a graduate of Westfield State College, which is the oldest co-educational teacher preparation college in the country, the ideas of equity in education have been instilled in him from day one. Stone went on to graduate from the Vermont Mathematics Initiative through the University of Vermont, which
provided a fantastic background in mathematics education. He lives with his wife in West Lebanon with their two young children, an Australian shepherd who follows them everywhere and their chickens.
The Helen Pouch Memorial Fund was created in 1938 with the primary goal to support education. Since its inception, the fund has awarded annual scholarships and supported educational projects at the DAR schools. In an effort to expand the impact of the Helen Pouch Memorial Fund, the committee has established the classroom grant project with the goal of awarding a $500 classroom grant to one classroom in each state, totaling $25,000 in grant awards each year.
Applicants for the Helen Pouch Memorial Fund Classroom Grants must be classroom teachers for grades kindergarten through 12th grade and sponsored by a local DAR chapter. Proposed projects must directly benefit students in the classroom. Funds may be used for supplies and educational programs but the applicant must detail how these items will help to further the educational goals of the DAR.
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