BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford School Department has received a $25,000 grant from the Cohen Foundation to support the continued development of its curriculum in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.

The grant is one of 50 the local charity made during its fall cycle, but was the only gift that went to a public school, Karen Chasse, community outreach and development director for the school system, said in a release earlier this week.

News of the grant comes after the successful implementation of an academy at Biddeford Middle School for students to study the four fields collectively known as STEM.

The STEM Academy began instructing 61 students in the sixth through eighth grades this year. There were 103 applicants total, 95 of these were determined to be eligible for the program based on academic achievement, work ethic and positive interviews with administration.

The current roster of students was selected through a blind draw, so as to not rank students, said BMS Principal Kyle Keenan told the Journal Tribune in October.

School Superintendent Jeremy Ray said Tuesday the School Department applied for the grant to expand the programming offered in the middle school, in attempts to create pathways to continue STEM education through the 12th grade.

“We have taken quite a concerted effort here in the School Department to improve and expand upon our STEM programming, and certainly not all of that can be done with public funds,” Ray said.

The Cohen Foundation works to support community endeavors in education, health and human services, art and culture, Jewish culture and tradition, and focuses on providing enrichment opportunities for underserved populations.

The STEM Academy and related programming is worth investing in, Ray said.

In a recent survey sent to parents of STEM Academy students, 97.6 percent of parents said their children have enjoyed their experience in the academy, Ray said.

The same percent of parents also said they believe the STEM Academy will prepare their children for the future.

Ray added that Jon Jacques, an instructor at Biddeford High School, has applied for and been awarded a Toshiba grant to fund similar programming at BHS. The exact award amount is not yet known, but has a commitment of at least $5,000.

“I think the outside world is starting to look at the BSD for what it is: truly a great system,” Ray said. “I think it also compliments the (school) board because the board took a risk in creating a pathway program that’s not done anywhere else.

“The faith they have in their school leaders is hopefully panning out for our students,” Ray continued. “Students are saying they enjoy these options in school and hopefully we can bring more options to them.”

The ultimate goal is to develop curriculum pathways for all students from the middle school to the high school, so they can follow in tracts they want to study.

“The goal in grades six through eight is to develop pathways that are important to kids — anything from STEM or the (Biddeford Regional Center of Technology) or a pathway yet to be determined — to put kids and parents in the situation where they have a high level of interest in the subject matter,” Ray said.

“The sky’s the limit for kids.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].