iLEAD Agua Dulce recently acquired a $475,000 federal grant that is anticipated to allow the creation of several new educational spaces for students, including a robotics lab and greenhouse.

Allocated and administered by the Federal Public Charter Schools Grant Program, the grant is set to allow iLEAD Agua Dulce to expand its current campus resources with the addition of new physical learning spaces.

“This money will allow us to optimize our indoor and outdoor spaces to their fullest and will provide our learners with the opportunity to have truly rich experiences in both areas,” said School Director Lisa Latimer.

One of the improvements that the school is looking forward to is the construction of an “exploratorium,” otherwise known as a fully integrated learning environment featuring multimedia technology to encourage hands-on learning.

Additionally, the grant is also planned to fund the creation of a “makery” with hand and power tools, a “tinkering station” and a robotics lab.

The funds are also planned to be used to create art and music labs, as well as outdoor improvements, including a greenhouse and enhancements to the school’s existing chicken coop and gardens, according to officials.

iLEAD plans to use the grant to fund the purchase of other learning resources, such as interactive Promethean ActivTables for each classroom, Apple TVs, projectors, gardening tools and supplies.

“Our curriculum is designed to equip students with the critical thinking, problem-solving, and entrepreneurial skills necessary to succeed in a 21st-century world,” Latimer said.

When school officials applied for the grant, they kept every department in mind.

“We were very mindful in applying for this grant to address a healthy mix of technological, arts and music-based, and agricultural needs – all of which are very important to our community, and which adhere closely to our project-based model,” said Latimer.

All new projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2019, according to officials.

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