Toyota grant funds mobility, STEM and school‑based services; district to expand STEM devices and mobile health
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Summary
District staff reported progress in year one of the Toyota "Driving Possibilities" grant: mobile health and behavioral partners are serving students, United Food Bank pantry supports families, and STEM equipment and curriculum work will expand to more schools with professional development and attention to sustainment of consumables.
The Tempe Elementary School District Governing Board received an update May 7 on work funded by a Toyota grant called "Driving Possibilities," which the presenter said supports two main areas: a mobility work stream and STEM education.
Dr. Leinhardt, speaking for the grant team, said community partners are providing on‑campus services: Southwest Behavioral offers therapy services, Native Health brings a mobile health unit to two campuses (Holdemann and Scales) once a month and serves roughly five to ten patients per visit, and United Food Bank operates a pantry at Holdemann that serves more than 225 families per month through walk‑in and drive‑through distribution.
On STEM, the grant team has purchased devices for the three grant schools and worked to build a sixth–eighth grade science blueprint that will be extended with STEM‑integrated, standards‑aligned units. Leinhardt said hands‑on projects — for example, a unit about air quality and vehicle idling developed with Maricopa County Air Quality Partnership — are being added to the district blueprint. The team also plans summer and in‑service professional development to create a "train the trainer" model so teachers can use 3D printers, Cricut and Glowforge devices with students.
Board members asked about sustainability and consumables. Leinhardt said Toyota is supporting planning for sustainability and that consumable costs (filament, vinyl, etc.) are expected and will be part of those planning discussions. The team also flagged an upcoming career day at Moseley on May 13 for eighth graders and said plans exist to expand STEM projects beyond the three grant schools.
The presentation highlighted the grant's whole‑child approach — pairing basic needs and health access with STEM opportunities — and noted a goal to build curriculum that connects to multiple subjects and career pathways.
