04/24/2026
Supporting STEM in our community is essential for inspiring the next generation.
We awarded the 66th Public School Proud Grant to Steve Henning from Whittier Middle School this morning! Steve will use $1,169 for his proposal, “The Force Unleashed: Demonstrating Newton’s Laws.” In the application, he wrote, “This project supports the purchase of battery-powered leaf blowers and materials to build two classroom hovercrafts used during our unit on Newton’s Laws of Motion. Students will construct and operate the hovercrafts to observe how forces create motion, how objects continue moving unless acted upon, and how action–reaction pairs function. Supplemental items—including an anemometer, Newton’s cradle, beach balls, and a small sail cart—expand learning by allowing students to measure airflow, visualize momentum transfer, and observe force interactions in different contexts. The battery-powered blowers will provide the thrust needed for the hovercrafts and will also be used in demonstrations where students observe how force, mass, and air resistance affect motion.” Thank you, Omnitech Inc., for generously funding engaging, interactive STEM experiences that help students apply theoretical physics concepts to real-world motion!
