Opportunities for students to engage in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs are limited in high-needs schools. The cost of technology, lab equipment, and consumable supplies like batteries can add up more quickly than schools can afford.
For five consecutive years, the PPG Foundation, the charitable arm of a global leader in coatings, specialty products and productivity solutions, has partnered with AdoptAClassroom.org® to create these opportunities for 14,000 students in communities across the country.
Since 2021, PPG Foundation has provided grants to 42 high-needs schools through AdoptAClassroom.org, empowering teachers to develop transformative STEM programs that will ignite their students’ curiosity.
During the 2025-26 school year, the PPG Foundation is continuing this impact by providing support to 10 schools. In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we’re highlighting a few of these schools and the innovative ways educators are using their PPG Foundation grants to expose students to exciting new STEM career possibilities.
Students Build Prototypes With New Technologies
For years, students at Mound School in Cleveland, OH, have collaborated to solve interactive STEM problems on paper. But a lack of supplies meant teachers didn’t have the resources to bring students’ ideas to life.
To address this, the school used its PPG Foundation grant to purchase a 3D printer and laser engraver, enabling classes to build and test their own prototypes. For designs that wouldn’t fit inside a classroom, VR headsets provide a realistic simulation.
According to Regina, a teacher at Mound School, the new STEM technologies purchased with the grant funds sparked students’ imaginations before they were even unpacked.
“The energy shifted in the classroom,” said Regina. “Students didn’t just look at the boxes, they buzzed around them, asking questions, pointing out possibilities and imagining what they could finally try.”
By trusting teachers to choose how to spend their grants, schools can implement imaginative STEM programs that engage their students’ interests.
High School Students Explore New Career Possibilities
The impact of supplying classrooms doesn’t stop at the school doors. In Greensboro, NC, Dudley High School used its grant funds to create a welding simulator makerspace. This makerspace allowed students to experience the welding process as accurately as possible without a 4,000° F flame.
Tiffany, a teacher at Dudley High School, reports that the investment in the welding simulator has opened many students’ eyes to new career possibilities. Girls in class are expressing interest in pursuing welding, a field in which women are still underrepresented.
In Pittsburgh, PA, Brashear High School teacher Jeffrey is using the excitement of drone technology to help increase student engagement in class while building career skills.
“When a student plays a video game for 500 hours, they become highly proficient at something which provides little benefit to their life,” said Jeffery. “But if a student flies a drone for 500 hours, they become proficient at something which offers numerous career pathways.”
So many students have expressed interest in learning with the quadcopter Jeffrey purchased with the grant funding that he aims to expand drone training to other schools in his district. Jeffery hopes that the donation from PPG Foundation “will be the golden goose that keeps on laying” for local students, engaging them for years to come.
Learn more about PPG’s global investment in the next generation of STEM leaders.