Amazon gives $12,000 robotics grant to 5 Philly schools

It’s sure is nice to see Amazon give some of that Prime money back to the community: the Seattle-based ecommerce giant just gave Philly schools a $12,000 grant to purchase robotics kits and help get their STEM on.
In a partnership between Amazon and the School District of Philadelphia, five middle and high schools will each get a practice and competition robotics kit, plus one competition field kit for schools to borrow for hosting competitions.

The Wilson Middle School robot is geared up for an exciting announcement! #PHLed pic.twitter.com/Fo3K8xf5wt

— Philadelphia Schools (@PHLschools) November 16, 2016

Superintendent William Hite thanked the company and gave a nod to other orgs to join in on the fun.
“We know that STEM curriculum and robotics programs push our students to think in new and innovative ways, and we want to continue to offer these types of opportunities in our schools,” Hite said.
Earlier this year, Amazon also dropped some cash for Philly schools by way of an in-kind donation: office and school supplies valued at $10,000.
And while we do look forward to covering the upcoming robotics competitions and, sure, school supplies are always nice, maybe Amazon could follow up that momentum by having some of its engineers come through town for a conference, or partner with local startups on new product offerings. That’d be cool, too.