George Ouimet, a technology teacher at Frontier High School, got quite the surprise Thursday when Eaton Corporation presented him with a $10,000 donation to fund critical classroom materials and resources.
Eaton, a multinational power management company with an office in Orchard Park, is partnering with national nonprofit AdoptAClassroom.org (AAC) to support local schools and advance STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) education in the communities where its employees live and work.
The event, coordinated alongside school and district leadership, spotlights the impact of corporate and educational partnerships. Frontier High School will utilize the funding to purchase hands-on STEAM materials designed to inspire students and prepare them for future careers in science and engineering.
“Eaton’s been with us for a few years now, and it’s a very special privilege to be able to have a community partner that is as invested in the learning of the students as you are,” Ouimet said. “As teachers, we’re especially equipped to care about the students and be invested in their progress and care about their learning, and to have a corporation who shares those values with us and helps us be able to prepare those students is just awesome.”
“STEAM is one of the most interdisciplinary studies that there are. We study history, we study English. It’s not just only about doing math,” Ouimet said. “It’s just not about only knowing how to code. It’s about building the whole student and every aspect that comes with it. A lot of people tend to think that STEAM and STEAM classes are purely focused on building things. And while we do build a lot of that, we also learn soft skills and how to talk to people and how to give presentations and skills that make our students employable."
"Through the District’s $70.1 million SOAR Capital Project, Frontier has made major improvements to and expanded our STEAM facilities, creating innovative spaces where students can learn, design and explore," said Frontier High School Principal Joseph Ciesielski. “Eaton’s generous $10,000 donation will build upon that investment by providing additional resources and hands-on learning opportunities that bring these spaces to life. We are incredibly grateful to Eaton for supporting the continued growth of our STEAM programs and investing in the future of Frontier students.”
By equipping educators with the exact tools they need, Eaton and AdoptAClassroom.org are working together to ensure both teachers and students can thrive in an evolving educational landscape.
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