Winner: CTE Makeover Challenge

Woot! My school has been honored as a prize winner in the CTE Makeover Challenge from the U.S. Department of Education. We are winning $20,000 and a share of in-kind prizes from the $375,000+ sponsor prize pool to build a makerspace. This space will provide our students the materials and environment they need to create, invent, tinker, and explore, helping them build vital career skills, including critical thinking, planning, communication, and problem solving.

This past April, we entered the Challenge by submitting our preliminary plans for a makerspace in our school. We gained admittance to an intensive 6-week bootcamp program to finalize our plans and explore a range of makerspace topics, including designing a makerspace, engaging the community, developing a budget, and creating projects that build making skills. *

Official Announcement
Video: White House Announcement of Prize Winners

*The majority of the text above is from the Prize Winner Communications Toolkit.

Read highlights of the proposal here.

If you would like to help support the build out of my school makerspace with free maker gear and supplies or donations of interior decorating, makerspace design, recording studio setup, maker cart building or general advice then please leave a comment or contact me on Twitter @DesignMakeTeach. Sponsors will be recognized on the school Partnership wall and will be featured in our build out video to be presented at National Maker Faire NY in October.

(Seriously, if you have a contact with a company that makes makerspace or makered gear and tools that might want to donate, please send them my way.)