Toms River Schools Win $763,000 Navy Grant For Tech Studies

TOMS RIVER, NJ — With computer science and technology continuing to revolutionize daily life, schools across the country are looking for ways to give students more opportunities to learn the tech skills that will be critical in the future.

The Toms River Regional School District just took a major leap in that direction, winning a $763,000 three-year grant from the Office of Naval Research to increase access to computer programming applications and put them at the core of many of its high school programs, the district said.

The project is called TR:TechReady, and will build on existing initiatives in the district that emphasize hands-on and problem-based learning, the district said in a news release, and will have applications across the curriculum in arts, business, medicine, engineering, and environmental studies, in the district's three career academies. TechReady aligns with the Navy’s mission of security and preparedness through the trifecta of scientific research, development, and evaluation.

"It is our mission to inspire, acquire, and constantly develop the current and next civilian and uniform workforce with needed Naval STEM capabilities," said Dr. Michael Simpson, the director of the Office of Naval Research's Education and Workforce and Naval STEM. "I am pleased that the TR:TechReady project incorporates so many vital components to accomplish this mission."

Toms River Superintendent David Healy said the large population of military veterans who live in the towns that make up the Toms River school district and the proximity to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst makes it "especially gratifying to have such a high profile grant connecting us with the armed forces."

“As we become more exposed to a rapidly changing professional landscape, it’s clear that capacity in coding will unleash a wave of future opportunities for our children,” said Tara Cunningham, a district parent who helped connect the district with ONR. “This program sets up Toms River Schools to become a leader in the field, which affords our children a big advantage when it comes time for them to enter the workforce."

Since 2013, a national “Computer Science for All” mission has inspired districts to add more computer programming opportunities through initiatives like code.org and Computer Science Education Week each December. The Navy grant will help the district develop advanced programs for both in-school and extracurricular programs on advanced coding and its applications, like robotics, testing, mixed reality, cyber security, and advanced manufacturing. It will also be used to train staff and upgrade spaces, materials, and tools to support coding courses and activities.

The grant award was the result of nearly two years of phone conferences, meetings, and multiple revisions of the 36-page application that was largely written by Assistant Superintendent Marc Natanagara, with key support from Tiffany Lucey, the district's supervisor of educational technology, and grant writer Mike Kenny.

"This directly aligns with board curriculum and technology goals," Natanagara said. "It will push us at least 5 to 10n years ahead of where we would have been in the area of coding and its applications, which are now part of almost every aspect of our lives. It is also part of our plan to share our resources with other districts as we progress.”

While the funds are specifically directed toward high schools, the district sees career readiness and coding initiatives as far more than a secondary level challenge.

"We are embedding coding and algorithmic thinking into instruction at every level," Lucey said. "This, and creating an environment where students can try, fail, and develop persistence, will prepare them well for next-generation careers."

The plan is being implemented by a district team that includes Secondary Curriculum Director Norma DeNoia; High School Science Supervisor Charles Evers; Intermediate Math Supervisor Heather Pentifallo; and teachers Suzanne Signorelli, Leslie Withstandley, Phillip Beachy, and Christine Girtain, along with input from students.

"Our high schools currently offer limited courses in programming languages but our students have been showing increasing interest," Signorelli said. "This program will greatly improve their engineering, physics, and coding skills by leaps and bounds, and equip our teachers with training that will benefit students far beyond the grant period."

There were 10 community partners that supported the original grant application, chief among them the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), based in Lakehurst and already a partner with the schools on several other fronts. NAVAIR’s laboratories, specializing in radiometry, materials testing, reverse engineering, control systems, and artificial intelligence, will be critical proving grounds for the skills students develop through TechReady.

“NAVAIR is happy that Toms River Regional was awarded this highly competitive STEM grant and very excited to be a part of it,” said Gaetan Mangano, Education Outreach Site Lead for Naval Air Systems Command at Lakehurst. “We look forward to helping create authentic student interactions and inspiring them to consider careers in research, development, and technology.”

Other partners include RWJBarnabas Health, Ocean County College, Rutgers University, Kean University, Yashi AdTech, Toms River Town Council and legislative representatives, the Grunin Foundation, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Congressman Tom MacArthur, and the Boy Scouts of America. Their contributions include staff workshops, student internships, mentors, and events. Activities for staff and students are expected to begin this summer both at OCC’s campus in Toms River, at NAVAIR, and through Rutgers University.

Toms River is also an InnovateNJ district and was in the first group of schools chosen last year by the NJ Department of Education, NJ School Boards Association, and NJIT for the new Future Ready Schools initiative.

Student activities and staff training will begin as early as this summer.

Any organization interested in joining this community initiative is invited to contact the district to support its students and TechReady’s goals. More information will become available on the program’s website at http://www.trschools.com/curriculum/techready.

For more information, contact Mike Kenny at mkenny@trschools.com or 732-505-5500 ext. 500053.

Lead photo: HSE Computer Science teacher Suzanne Signorelli has worked extensively on coding with students, particularly the Raiders ShortCircuits robotics team that she advises. Photos provided by Toms River Regional Schools