C Spire Foundation, MSU continue commitment to STEM education in Mississippi through a $180,000 grant for online computer science classes

Contact: Courtney Grimes, C Spire

Mississippi Department of Education Chief Academic Officer Donna Boone, left, and MSU Center for Cyber Education Director Shelly Hollis, center, accept a donation from C Spire Foundation Executive Director Beth Pickering to support the development of online K-12 computer science courses for Mississippi students. (Photo courtesy of C Spire)

RIDGELAND, Miss. - The C Spire Foundation is continuing its commitment to K-12 students in Mississippi through a $180,000 donation to Mississippi State University that further supports STEM and the development and implementation of online computer science classes. The initiative builds on the C Spire Foundation's $1 million donation in 2021 to help train more than 3,000 K-12 teachers after the Mississippi Legislature passed House Bill 633, requiring all K-12 public schools in the state to teach computer science by the 2024-2025 academic year.

To help schools meet the legislative requirement and fulfill the need for qualified computer science teachers, the C Spire Foundation has partnered with the Center for Cyber Education at MSU to provide high schools with free access to quality computer science courses for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.

"We recognize the importance of improving lives through technology," said Beth Pickering, president and executive director of the C Spire Foundation. "We remain committed to supporting the best STEM education, digital literacy, and professional skills development for students in our region, and collaboration with organizations such as the Center for Cyber Education help make this a reality."

As part of this initiative, the Center for Cyber Education plans to offer two online courses: Exploring Computer Science and Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP). While the instruction for these courses will take place online with qualified Mississippi teachers, schools are expected to provide a classroom space and facilitator for students to participate in the course during their regular school day. Exploring Computer Science is an introductory course with six units covering human-computer interaction, problem-solving, web design, introduction to programming, computing and data analysis, and robotics. AP CSP is an introductory college-level computing course that introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science.

"Collaborating with a partner such as the C Spire Foundation, who not only acknowledges the significance of computer science education for students but also consistently contributes financially to advance our state, speaks volumes," said Shelly Hollis, director of the Center for Cyber Education at Mississippi State University. "Our mutual commitment has directly impacted the growth we have seen in teachers empowered through computer science training and the number of students enrolled in computer science courses across the state."

In 2023, the Center for Cyber Education was recognized at the 2023 Global CS Education Conference with an award for Mississippi being number one nationwide for increasing computer science enrollment. In 2015, fewer than 20 teachers reported teaching computer science classes. By the 2023-2024 school year, the number of teachers had risen to 2,987, and the number of students enrolled in computer science classes had climbed from fewer than 100 students in 2015 to 156,494.

Since 1997, C Spire has donated millions of dollars in scholarships, opening doors to higher education in Mississippi. The C Spire Foundation has been significantly involved in promoting computer science education in Mississippi since 2015 with coding challenges, coding academies, pilot accelerated degree programs, and other innovative initiatives. These programs inspire and encourage students to consider pursuing academic degrees or professional careers in science, technology, engineering, and math-related fields.

About C Spire Foundation
The C Spire Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization funded by C Spire. Its mission is to inspire a passion to be the best and help transform the areas C Spire serves by providing grants for STEM and STEAM education (science, technology, education, arts and math) for students in grades K-12 and institutions of higher learning, primarily in Mississippi.

About C Spire
C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides world-class, customer-inspired wireless communications, multi-gigabit consumer Internet access as well as a full suite of dedicated Internet, wireless, IP Voice, data, cloud and managed IT services for businesses and enterprises. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or X at www.x.com/cspire.

About the MSU Center for Cyber Education
The MSU Center for Cyber Education conducts a broad range of outreach activities related to cybersecurity awareness and K-12 computer science education, helping position Mississippi to compete in a digitally-driven economy. In partnership with the Mississippi Department of Education, the center leads the development and maintenance of Mississippi's K-12 computer science curriculum and teacher professional development. The center has trained more than 3,000 teachers so they can incorporate computer science concepts and courses in their schools. Additionally, CCE leads cybersecurity awareness efforts for Mississippi small businesses and hosts cyber certification training to grow and strengthen the cybersecurity workforce.

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - 12:11 pm