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by Tiffany Rizzo
PAHOKEE, Fla. (CBS12) — A robotics program at Pahokee Middle-Senior High School is giving students far more than hands-on STEM experience. School leaders say it's helping students discover careers, earn scholarships, and prepare for college while transforming opportunities in one of Florida's poorest communities.
The "Stepping Up STEM in Pahokee" program is made possible through a partnership between the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and the Ventus Charitable Foundation. Students spend months designing, building and programming robots while also using 3D printers to bring their designs to life before putting their skills to the test in robotics competitions.
Principal Dwayne Dennard said programs like this have changed what's possible for students in the Glades.
"Growing up in the Glades, we were not exposed to all this high-tech stuff," Dennard said. "If someone doesn't believe in you, sometimes you get down on yourself. Sometimes you don't think things could change. But it can be that one spark that makes that tree grow."
One of those students is Mathania Saint Hubert, the school's salutatorian, who is heading to the University of Central Florida this fall.
"Robotics has been such a big part of my high school career," Saint Hubert said. "Without robotics, I don't think I would have made it as far as I did because I learned so many tools like failure and teamwork."
She said the program taught her perseverance as much as engineering.
"Robotics taught me that no matter what, you have to keep going," she said. "Trial and error is so important."
Principal Dennard said the impact extends well beyond the robotics lab. When he arrived at the school in 2016, he said it had a "D" grade. Today, Pahokee Middle-Senior High School is just three points away from earning an "A" school grade, with more students earning scholarships, heading to college and pursuing careers they once thought were out of reach.
Dennard said the Foundation's support also helps teachers through its Red Apple Supplies program, which provides free classroom materials and reduces the need for educators to spend their own money.

The story is part of CBS12 News' annual Stuff the Bus campaign, which supports the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and its efforts to provide students and teachers with the tools they need to succeed throughout the school year.
The CBS12 News team will be collecting school supply donations in person on Wednesday, Aug. 6, at the Office Depot on Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
If you can't attend the event, you can support Stuff the Bus by purchasing supplies through the campaign's Office Depot wish list or by making a monetary donation to the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County.

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