Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation to bring STEM Centers to Accomack and Northampton County Public Schools

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) today announced  it will bring STEM Centers to seven schools in both Accomack and Northampton counties, thanks to various funders, including the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms; philanthropist David Landsberger; the Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation; Captains Cove Community Partners; community advocates John Custis and Robert Smith, as well as various other community members. In total, $210,000 has been raised for this important county-wide initiative. The STEM Centers are expected to be completed by spring of 2022. 

The schools receiving these state-of-the art STEM Centers include:

Accomack County

1. Accawmacke Elementary School
2. Kegotank Elementary School
3. Pungoteague Elementary school
4. Chincoteague Elementary school
5. Chincoteague Middle School

Northampton County

6. Kiptopeke Elementary School
7. Occohannock Elementary School

Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Co-Founder Cal Ripken, Jr. said, “We are thrilled to be bringing these STEM Centers to seven schools in Virginia. We’ve learned that getting STEM in front of kids in elementary and middle schools is critical. Thanks to great partners and community leaders, we are opening these STEM Centers at a rapid pace nationwide, and they are making a difference to students, teachers, and the schools.”  

In 2021, CRSF is celebrating its 20^th anniversary and over that time it has grown into a national foundation impacting over 10 million kids in underserved communities. The Foundation has opened 138 fully operational and turnkey STEM Centers in elementary and middle schools in 15 states. These STEM Centers will be the first that the Ripken Foundation brings to Virginia. In addition, the Foundation has distributed over 10,000 at-home STEM kits in 16 states. 

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