Lockwood STEM Center to Hold Grand Opening

source: Hemlock Pubic School District

A grand opening will be held Monday, June 7 for the new Lockwood STEM Center, made possible with help from a $100,000 donation from Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC) and other community supporters. Located near Hemlock High School, The center will be the new home for robotics and other STEM-related programs for the Merrill, Swan Valley, St. Charles, Freeland, and Hemlock school districts.

Students from kindergarten through high school will use the facility, which will also will be home to FIRST Robotics teams and serve as an advanced learning space for STEM-related programs. Students will be able to learn STEM education skills such as coding, computer-aided design, 3D printing, and fabrication.

“Our area students now have the space, materials, and programs they need to fuel continued STEM learning in and beyond school,” Hemlock Public School District Superintendent Don Killingbeck said. “It’s wonderful having the equipment and a place to jump-start their careers,
thanks to our partnership with HSC. The Lockwood STEM Center is the physical representation of the district's commitment to innovate, collaborate, and educate our community of learners. This space is bold and innovative, dedicated to educating the next generation, and could not have happened without strong collaboration and partnerships from supporters like HSC and many others.”

Board President Wesener said, “We are so excited to announce the grand opening of the Lockwood STEM center. Thanks to the generous donations and great partnerships with organizations like HSC, we have been able to create a transformational space for area students to
collaborate and grow in the STEM arena. I would also like to recognize the efforts of Tom Lockwood and the many others there who have contributed to realizing this vision.”

“The STEM Center provides a centralized location for FIRST Robotics teams to build and test robots, a great avenue for area students to develop a passion for STEM-related learning, said HSC Vice President of Manufacturing Andy Ault. “Our HSC team looks forward to seeing teams collaborate in this space and watching students develop the skills required to be the next-generation leaders at HSC and in the Great Lakes Bay region.”

The STEM center is named for Tom Lockwood, technology director for Hemlock Schools and a driving force behind getting the center built on space donated by the Hemlock school district. Other top donors for the center included Hemlock Public Schools, The Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation, Saginaw Control & Engineering, and DuPont.