PIERCETON — Thanks to a grant from CenturyLink Foundation for $2,897, beginning in fall 2019, Makey Makey Kits will arrive at Pierceton Elementary School’s fourth-grade classrooms.

The kits are an extension of PES commitment to engage their students in STEM disciplines. The kits will allow students to experiment with alligator clips, which are often used in electronics to secure a wired connection, by connecting them to conductive items throughout the classroom to bring various outcomes to their computer screens in real time.

According to their website, Makey Makey kits “turn everyday objects into touch pads and combine them with the Internet. It’s a simple invention kit for beginners and experts doing art, engineering, and everything in between.”

The innovative idea allows for endless imaginative possibilities for students to attach their clips to pizza, tin foil, and even water to affect the outcomes of video games, typing, presentation tools, music and more.

Whitko’s fourth-grade teacher Anne Clark was instrumental in helping bring this grant to Pierceton Elementary School. Clark has been an advocate in the classroom through other projects like “Socktober” in fall 2018. The fourth-grade classrooms raised funds to supply the homeless from Shepherd’s House in Fort Wayne with fresh pairs of socks.