Last week, at the 3rd Annual Yass Prize Celebration in Midtown Manhattan, St. George MSU was selected as a Yass Prize Finalist and will receive $500,000 for the CTE/Makerspace Project! It's an honor to stand alongside the other Yass Prize awardees who are transforming education across the nation.
The Yass Prize, known as the Pulitzer of Education Innovation, recognizes & supports the work of the "best-in-class education providers who can tackle the big education challenges of the day and deliver an education for students that is Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless."
“The disruption that the awardees are causing in American education is remarkable,” said Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform whose organization manages the Yass Prize effort.
We were one of nine finalists selected from over 2000 applicants representing 27 million students from every sector in education and every grade in the PreK-12 continuum across all 50 states. We were the only traditional public school selected as a finalist, and one of only two among the 33 semifinalists.
We're grateful to Janine and Jeff Yass for selecting us as a finalist and putting St. George on track to launch the first PreK-12 Career & Technical Education Program in the nation.
Across Maine, people are talking about the Yass Prize and our work:
- Bangor Daily News
- Channel 8 WMTW
- Channel 5 WABI
- The Free Press
- Courier-Gazette
- Educate Maine's 2023 Education Symposium
This is a testament to the power of a small community with the courage & vision to dream BIG for kids. The idea for the CTE/Makerspace Project came from our community. So MANY people, organizations, and businesses helped us get to where we are today.
With the $500,000 from the Yass Prize, we've now raised $2.7 million towards our $3.2 million goal. Construction begins in March, which is only a few months away! We need your help to raise the remaining $500,000 so we can complete construction of the new building by the spring of 2025.
We have come so far, accomplished so much, and inspired people across the state and nation. Help us finish the job so we can re-engage our students in learning, strengthen our local economy, and build a more resilient community. In the process, we'll provide a model to schools & communities across the nation looking to transform public education.
Sincerely,
Mike Felton, St. George MSU Superintendent