SPENCERVILLE, Ohio (WLIO) - The sound of laughter fills the gym at Spencerville Local Schools, and while one class of middle schoolers are having fun, they are also learning too.
The equipment that they are using has been purchased by the school thanks to a $10,000 donation from Charles River Laboratories - equipment that those with Spencerville say they are grateful to have.
"We're able to work through some engineering programs, which are really cool for the kids in design, just some things that some schools aren't able to do unless they have funds committed, because it's an expensive program to be able to run," said Mike Graham, technology teacher for Spencerville. "The kids are super thankful to be able to have the opportunity, and it makes class fun.
The students are able to work with everything from drones to robots and remote controlled vehicles, and the school also offers a technology class.
Charles River made the donation to the schools a few years ago, and say that they are pleased to see it blossom into interest in STEM-related concepts today.
"We love it; I mean, obviously I'm very big into science, big into research here, but to see young students take an interest in the scientific fields and the STEM fields and develop their own robots, various other scientific avenues here really is exciting for us," said Rusty Rush, site director for Charles River Laboratories Spencerville.
Teachers say the biggest outcome from having these opportunities at school is the spark of interest and understanding from these students, a healthy and productive outlet that encourages them to never stop learning.
"You see them wanting to come down during their extra time, during their mornings, during their recess time, during study hall, asking 'Can I work on this? Can I work with my group?'," said Graham. "Just the overall excitement about having hands-on learning like this has been really fun for them."
