Crowdfunding and Innovation at Manor New Tech High School

Innovation, relationships, and technology inspire the students at Manor New Tech High School near Austin, Tex.

So do robots, roller derby, and the prom.

This week, President Obama will get an education on campus happenings when he visits Manor New Tech during a trip to Texas to promote his ideas on job creation.

As the president presents possible solutions for improving the economy, Manor New Tech students team up to work on their own answers to problems large and small. That’s all part of the school’s focus on project-based learning, in which students learn by doing—in most cases, by identifying a challenge, then researching and experimenting to come up with a result that works.

One problem-solving strategy: online fundraising for extracurricular events and activities. Three different groups within the school community have taken to crowdfunding on Rally.org to help finance three very different projects.

Robots Rock

Manor New Tech’s medal-winning robotics team, FRC 2789, were fundraising to cover transportation costs to the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Mo., a contest where middle-school and high-school teams compete each April. In 2011 and 2012, the team received the Entrepreneurship Award, and they reached the finals for the first time in 2013. Unusual side note: The FRC 2789 team is about 50 percent female, in an academic area where males make up about 75 percent of most teams.

Rollergirl, Jr.

Manor New Tech’s girls rule at more than just robotics: About 15 girls wanted to start up a junior roller-derby team, in the spirit of Austin’s world-famous Texas Rollergirls, so they’ve been raising money to buy skates, helmets, pads, and guards. The school largely serves a lower-income community (more than half of Manor New Tech students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch), so clubs and teams look to outside funding to pay for equipment and fees.

Prom Time

It’s prom season across the country, so Manor New Tech’s juniors have been rallying to put on a vintage-themed prom for the senior class. The old-school night of glamour happens this weekend at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center at the University of Texas. (How shocking would it be to see President and Mrs. Obama all dolled up in formalwear and out on the dance floor?)

Manor New Tech High School opened six years ago with a $4 million grant from the Texas High School Project, which works to create and promote public schools focused on the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, math). The school belongs to the New Tech Network, a non-profit that works for public-education innovation through project-based learning.

To learn more about Manor New Tech students and their inspiring work, as well as connect with the community and support their Rallys, check out their fundraisers for the robotics team, the Rollergirls, and the prom committee.