Think BIG Program Grows
October 10, 2023
Phoenix Contact awards $565,000 to Capital Area Intermediate Unit to expand 4th grade STEM curriculum
Many fourth-grade students in Central Pennsylvania will have the chance to participate in a hands-on science curriculum based on Phoenix Contact’s Think BIG program. As part of the company’s 100th anniversary celebration, Phoenix Contact leaders from Germany and the U.S. donated $565,000 to the Capital Area Intermediate Unit (CAIU) 15. CAIU will use the funds to formalize and expand the curriculum for schools within its territory.
Phoenix Contact developed the Think BIG program in 2017 in partnership with Foose Elementary School in Harrisburg.
Each month, from November through May, employees volunteer in the classroom to teach hands-on science lessons. The curriculum uses engineering methods to solve problems in the context of clean energy.
During the remaining 2023-24 school year, the CAIU team will shadow Phoenix Contact employees on their monthly visits to Foose Elementary School so they can formalize the curriculum. CAIU supports 60 elementary schools in Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, and Northern York counties. The goal is to launch Think BIG to an additional 15 to 20 elementary schools during the 2024-25 school year.
