Schools and Organizations Across US Receive VR Career Exploration Grant
Winners & Runners Up for Inaugural CareerViewXR Production Grant Announced
March 15, 2024 – Immersive career exploration platform CareerViewXR recently announced the winners of the company’s inaugural Production Grant, a pioneering initiative with top-level awards valued at over $100,000. The project is designed to revolutionize how students explore career pathways, by using virtual reality to bring real world job sites into the classroom.
The CareerViewXR Production Grant attracted a diverse range of applicants from schools and educational organizations in over a dozen states. Inspired and backed by the 2023 Yass Prize Semifinalist award won by CareerViewXR, the purpose of the grant initiative is to provide access to immersive career exploration opportunities for tens of thousands of students across the country while simultaneously developing partnerships with innovative schools, organizations, and industry leaders. Using their combined skills and knowledge, the CareerViewXR team and these partners will come together to develop new immersive career experiences for inclusion in the platform’s library.
Matt Chaussee, CEO of CareerViewXR, said "We are constantly seeking to expand and enhance the CareerViewXR library of content. The best way to do that is by showcasing best-in-class partnerships between schools and employers. We’re honored to allocate production resources toward additional experiences with education innovators who have demonstrated an outstanding ability to help students clearly define their career path." CareerViewXR Co-founder Katie Chaussee was elated by the number and quality of applications received. “It was so exciting to see the great ideas and visions outlined in these applications from around the country,” said Katie. She continued, “There were so many worthy applicants. It made the selection process incredibly challenging!”
Celebrating the Winners
After a thorough review of the applications, completion of interviews, and several weeks of deliberation, the selection committee recognized three winners. Winners were selected based on a combination of demonstrated financial need of their schools, their ability to add unique perspectives to the CareerViewXR content library, a focus on measurable impacts of the platform on students' career journeys, and a demonstrated model for successfully implementing the CareerViewXR platform in their communities and beyond. Winners will receive up to two CareerViewXR experiences produced in their region, 12-month CareerViewXR subscriptions for up to 5,000 students, and two HTC VIVE virtual reality headsets. The package of products and services is valued at up to $100,000 per school.
The three winners include:
Wheaton North High School - Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton North High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Wheaton, Illinois. Wheaton is in the Chicago Suburbs, 25 miles west of the city. They have been rated as an exemplary school by the State of Illinois. Thirty percent of Wheaton’s student body is considered low income with 10% of their student body having an IEP and 10% who are English language learners. Their second language population is high and continues to grow due to local partnerships with community groups focused on refugee placement. The school has demonstrated an innovative and outstanding approach where students have a vested interest in the curriculum. This has been accomplished through the strategic deployment of immersive technology and by actively involving students in the creation of professional development opportunities for teachers.
Brian Zeglin, Teacher and Head Coach of ESPORTS, saw the grant as a great opportunity to add a new resource to Wheaton North’s technology arsenal. In the school’s application, Brian shared, “Your software would be a powerful platform for our building to build a sequential program across grade levels to build awareness in CTE fields that will result in increased enrollment within our course work, internships, and broaden awareness for future career opportunities.” Upon learning of Wheaton becoming a grant recipient, he added, “We are honored to have this opportunity to partner with CareerViewXR - expanding our advanced computing space and directly connecting our students to career pathway experiences.”
LUMIN Schools - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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LUMIN Schools is a system of 7 schools serving grades K-8 in the greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin region. The LUMIN network of schools offers a transformational educational experience tailored for urban communities. Its mission centers on providing a safe, faith-based learning environment where students from urban backgrounds can excel academically and develop strong leadership skills. The comprehensive curriculum is designed to ensure students meet and exceed grade-level expectations, equipping them for success in high school, college, and their future careers. By integrating spiritual growth with a rigorous academic framework, LUMIN Schools aims to produce resilient, community-minded individuals poised for professional success. As a beacon of hope and progress, LUMIN Schools addresses the unique challenges of urban education, equipping its students with the necessary tools for a prosperous future.
Shaun Luehring, President and CEO of LUMIN Schools accepted the award, stating, “We are profoundly grateful to CareerViewXR for their generous support and to our local businesses and organizations for their partnerships year after year. Together, we are harnessing cutting-edge technology and pioneering educational innovation that opens a world of boundless career possibilities for our students.”
St. George Municipal School Unit - Tenants Harbor, Maine
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St. George Municipal School Unit is a distinguished PK-8 community school located in the community of Tenants Harbor, a part of the peninsula town of St. George, Maine. The school is renowned for an outstanding commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive educational environment aimed at preparing students for career success. St. George School emphasizes real-world relevance and community engagement, making learning meaningful and applicable to future careers, with an award-winning maker space initiative and a commitment to CTE opportunities for all students. The school is recognized for its excellence and commitment to growth, both in enrollment and in its vibrant community presence.
Regarding St. George MSU’s selection as a recipient, Superintendent Mike Felton stated, “St. George MSU is committed to expanding access to Career & Technical Education to all students, PreK-12. CareerViewXR will help us integrate VR into this effort and provide our students immersive experiences in careers ranging from Diesel Mechanics to Dentistry to Drone Operation. Importantly, they will develop new VR experiences drawing from tradespeople, industries, and businesses in Midcoast Maine. This will help our students understand and delve into the connections between CTE, VR, and their local economy.”
Recognition of the Runners-Up
The following nine schools are being recognized as runners-up. Each will be receiving 12-month CareerViewXR subscriptions for up to 1,000 students as well as one HTC VIVE virtual reality headset:
- Black Pastors United for Education - Harrisburg, PA
- Campbell Community Center - Media, PA
- C-TEC of Licking County - Licking County, OH
- Leaders to Legends – Omaha, NE
- Olivet Community Schools - Olivet, MI
- Randolph Eastern School Corporation - Union City, IN
- Tutwiler Community Education Center – Tutwiler, MS
- UrbaNeXt - Cincinnati, OH
- West Virginia Academy - Morgantown, WV
Inspiration and Looking Forward
The CareerViewXR Production Grant received substantial support thanks to an education innovation award administered by the Yass Foundation for Education. CareerViewXR had the honor of being recognized as a Semifinalist for the Yass Prize in 2023. With this recognition came a generous award of $200,000. “The Yass Prize was instrumental in helping us make our production grant possible,” Matt Chaussee shared, adding, “we are incredibly grateful for the recognition we’ve received, but even more importantly, the opportunity to create life-changing impact for students across the country through the CareerViewXR Production Grant. A huge thank you as well to HTC VIVE for their generous support in providing affordable access to the headsets deployed through this initiative.”
The selection committee expressed gratitude to every group that participated in the success of the grant process. “We want to extend a heartfelt thank you for the time and effort everyone put into their applications and to the Yass Prize for their support of this monumental initiative. Selecting the winners was an incredibly difficult choice. It would have been amazing to create field trips and job shadows with each one of the applicants,” Katie Chaussee said, adding, “We are actively seeking additional partnerships and funding opportunities to create a truly sustainable program allowing us to continue our permissionless approach to career exploration by growing this program until we are producing CareerViewXR experiences in all 50 states.”
The outcomes of this year’s production partnerships and the implementation of the CareerViewXR platform across all winners and runners up will play a critical role in the future growth and development of the platform with planned case studies, impact stories, and even collaborative doctoral research. The company eagerly anticipates opening the application window for next year’s CareerViewXR Production Grant and encourages all interested parties to frequently check their website and follow their social media pages for future developments and opportunities.
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About CareerViewXR
CareerViewXR is an immersive career exploration platform that brings the job site to the classroom through 360-degree web-based tours and companion virtual reality videos. Students and adult job seekers alike can explore engaging field trips and job shadows highlighting in-demand industries like skilled trades, healthcare, energy, and more. VR headsets are completely optional; the content is accessible on devices schools already own – including laptops, cell phones, and tablets.
CareerViewXR is the flagship product of Be More Colorful, a Fargo, North Dakota educational technology startup that specializes in immersive technology solutions for solving workforce development problems. Co-founded by husband-and-wife team Matt and Katie Chaussee, the company has been at the forefront of creating immersive media solutions that help people make better decisions about where they choose to live, learn, work and play.
CareerViewXR Website: https://careerviewxr.com/
Be More Colorful Website: https://www.bemorecolorful.com/
For media inquiries, please contact:
Maddysen Boecker, Communications Manager at CareerViewXR by Be More Colorful
maddy@bemorecolorful.com
(701) 353-2000 EXT. 704
