HANCOCK — Superintendent Steve Patchin announced Hancock Public Schools has received recent grant awards that will allow for significant enhancements in their curriculum.

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers PRIME School Designation awarded more than $300,000 worth of equipment to Hancock High School, including curriculum and funds to train teachers to teach students skills in additive manufacturing, metrology and quality, computer-aided design and manufacturing, and more.

“As our students engage in these courses,” said Patchin in an email to parents Wednesday, “they will develop problem-solving skills, the ability to successfully work in teams, earn a wide variety of industry-recognized certificates, all while applying core skills of mathematics, science, and language arts.”

The schools also received a Michigan Department of Education SCRIPT Coding grant Award.

Working with Copper Country Intermediate School District (CCISD) support groups, REMC 1 and the Region 16 U.P. MiSTEM Network, Hancock Public Schools was awarded a grant to infuse coding into the K-12 curriculum. This will allow for the development of cross-curricular activities that will teach students the basics of coding beginning in kindergarten, then building on this skill-set in each grade. Students will develop computational thinking skills that can be used to solve problems in all aspects of their lives, said Patchin.

RMEC is the Regional Education Media Center. REMC 1 provides technology and instructional materials support to local school districts. REMC 1 serves the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, specifically the Copper Country and Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School Districts. As an educational service agency, REMC works with the local schools and entities in the public sector to leverage technology, increase efficiency, and create collaborations for the benefit of teaching and learning.

Patchin also announced a new collaboration with Gogebic Community College, as it works to enhance the educational experience the community is seeking for its students, said Patchin.

“GCC joins our partnership with the CCISD CTE Center,” he explained. “These awards and GCC collaboration will provide the foundation needed to grow this programing, moving toward a competency based model of education,” adding, “Gogebic Community College is excited to collaborate with Hancock Public Schools in the development of its new manufacturing training program. GCC will provide instructional delivery and design with the primary goal of strengthening partnerships with business/industry to meet the needs of students and local manufacturers. The college would work with the district to expand programming options over the next several years as part of the collaboration. Developing and enhancing dual enrollment, Early College and continuing education programming to meet the academic and workforce community needs throughout the Western Upper Peninsula would be a priority.”

Patchin also mentioned a survey he had provided last summer included in a superintendent evaluation.

“The survey contained several ideas and goals we were interested in pursuing to improve our services to our students and community,” he said. “You provided strong feedback favoring the following areas”:

— Develop two educational pathways focused on developing career skills and preparation to be successful in college.

— Increasing the number of student experiences involving technology including robotics, coding, programming drones, etc.

— Provide more work-based learning options that allow students to spend part of their day working in jobs/careers that interest them.

— Add other higher level academic courses like calculus, advanced placement courses, and dual enrollment courses at local colleges and universities.

— Build an addition to our shop areas so students can learn a wide variety of skills needed in advanced manufacturing.

“As we continue to build our new five-year plan to address these interests we have already begun enhanced programming in K-5 with our STEM specials,” said Patchin. “These allow students to learn to code, building programming robots and drones, constructing objects using 3D printers and more beginning in kindergarten.”