Today, Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt announced Foothills Community School in Marion, North Carolina, is a recipient of the 2025 NLGA Lt. Governors STEM Scholarship Program. The school will be awarded $1,000 as part of the program to expand STEM programming and curriculum.
“From elementary schools inspiring a love of STEM to our advanced research institutions and companies, North Carolina is home to exceptional STEM programs,” said Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt. “I am thrilled Foothills Community School was awarded this scholarship and I know they will continue to inspire the next generation to learn and innovate.”
“As the seconds-in-command in state and territorial government, lieutenant governors are uniquely poised to lead on STEM education,” said NLGA Executive Director Kellie Rittershausen. “By supporting STEM-related activities in schools across the country, we can encourage a long-term interest and passion in STEM education in America’s youth.”
Foothills Community School, a "NC Model STEM School of Distinction" serving middle schoolers, has a mobile STEM lab that tours elementary schools in the district and visits community events, sharing student-led STEM activities with younger students. With the STEM Scholarship funds, the school will add Vex Robots to the STEM lab activities, expanding STEM activities in coding and engineering for middle schoolers, as well as adding new concepts to be shared with elementary students.
In February, Lieutenant Governor Hunt encouraged educators across the state to apply for the scholarship. Foothills Community School was one of twelve schools in twelve states to be awarded a scholarship for STEM-related expenses. This year’s application cycle included over 125 requests from 32 states and territories.
The Scholarship Program is administered by NLGA, the nonpartisan, nonprofit association for the nation’s seconds-in-command, and sponsored by ACT, the education and career readiness nonprofit.
“ACT is proud to have been the sponsor of the NLGA STEM scholarship program since its inception and to see its growth and impact over the past 4 years,” ACT CEO Janet Godwin said. “STEM education is crucial for our country’s future workforce which will be increasingly reliant on the critical thinking and problem-solving skills it fosters, regardless of a student’s college or career pathway. ACT is uniquely poised to meet this moment, and working alongside NLGA, we are committed to ensuring that all students leave high school prepared to enter a world of evolving postsecondary and work opportunities, including those for which a high-quality STEM education are essential.”
Additional information on the STEM Scholarship Program can be found at https://nlga.us/strategies/nlga-state-strategies-in-stem/.
###