TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Independent School District will launch several new STEM initiatives in the coming year after receiving a grant from Meta Temple Data Center.
Temple ISD was recently notified of the $75,000 grant from Meta. The monies will be earmarked to help fund three new STEM initiatives in the district. The grant will help support a new Summer STEM Explorations program. TISD will offer a free summer STEM camp offering hands-on exploration for district students and grant funding will help provide meals and transportation to make that program more accessible to students across the district. Funds will also help support the STEMpowering Educators professional development program. That program will help pay for district science and math teachers and leaders to attend conferences host by the Center for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) and the National Teacher Institute for Math hosted by Carnegie Learning. Those conferences will provide those attending an opportunity to collaborate with other teachers and hear from experts in the field to help improve teaching and learning in math and science classrooms. The final project funded will be Fine Arts: STEAM and Movement. That project will allow the district to purchase portable BEAM projectors to use at elementary schools across TISD to encourage students to connect learning in the arts to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math through interactive participation in games and activities.
“We are very grateful for the partnership with Meta, and it is affirming for the district that Meta also sees value in the same things we see value in,” said Dr. Renota Rogers, chief academic officer for Temple ISD. “It allows us to dream big and innovate ways to help our students and teachers explore STEM and grow. This grant will allow us to provide some opportunities for exposure to STEM and participation in activities we might not otherwise be able to provide.”
Previous donations from Meta have helped Temple ISD reengineer its STEM programs across the district and impact students on every grade level. The reengineering and expansion of STEM offerings is part of a district master plan that includes a five-year schedule of initiatives incorporating all TISD campuses.
“Temple has been our home since we broke ground on our data center in 2022, and we are proud to support nonprofits and schools to ensure the long-term vitality of Bell County,” said Holli Davies, community development manager for Meta. “Temple ISD exemplifies exceptional collaboration, and we are proud to help advance their work in STEAM education. We again offer our congratulations to the 2025 Temple Data Center grant recipients, our inaugural group of grantees.”