LAPEER, Michigan — Baker College, a longtime partner of Lapeer Community Schools (LCS), has generously donated $116,000 worth of advanced manufacturing equipment to the District’s rapidly growing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program. The equipment is vital to the District’s current academic offerings as well as the future expansion of our STEM programming in line with the state’s Marshall Plan for Talent.

The equipment will not only support the District’s K-12 STEM curriculum, but also our award-winning robotics program.

“We could not be more appreciative of the generosity of Baker College,” said LCS Superintendent Matt Wandrie. “They have been an incredible partner with the District for many years, and this donation will help us take our STEM program to the next level.”

Jaime Ratliff, LCS STEM Coordinator, says the District continues to focus on creating programs that offer students transferable, life-long skills in high-demand fields. 

“One of the goals of the Marshall Plan for Talent was to increase access for students with industry-standard equipment, and this is right in line with that goal,” Ratliff said. “This donation broadens the scope of experiential training we can offer our students. Graduates with experience working with a wide variety of equipment will be more marketable while searching for jobs after high school.” 

Precision equipment is one of the most important and costly features of any STEM program. Thanks to partnerships like this one with Baker College, the District is well on its way to having one of the top STEM programs in the state. 

“We’re thrilled to be able to pay it forward to younger students in our community with this equipment donation to Lapeer Community Schools,” said Kelly Smith, Campus President, Baker College of Cadillac, and Running Start Coordinator.  “We know the importance of hands-on learning in today’s STEM industries, and we know what great things these students can accomplish with these resources.”    

For more information, please contact Jared Field at jfield@lapeerschools.org.