Education Stories
Alex Altomare: How KC students touched by gun violence changed my perspective
Editor’s note: Kansas City entrepreneur Alex Altomare served as a mentor for Tuesday’s MECA Challenge, which prompted students in Kansas City’s urban core to develop solutions for school shootings. The following is Altomare’s reflection on the experience. MECA Challenge and Startland News are both programs of the Kansas City Startup Foundation. Volunteering, especially with education…
Operation Breakthrough expansion helps give every child a chance, Mayor Sly James says
It’s the beginning of a new chapter for Operation Breakthrough, said Kansas City Mayor Sly James. The mayor joined a packed crowd of supporters on an icy Thursday morning to share the Kansas City-based organization’s formal announcement of its $17 million capital campaign and expansion project. The effort — dubbed “Big Dreams, Bright Futures” —…
$17M Operation Breakthrough expansion to bridge Troost, boost STEM and maker skills
An Operation Breakthrough expansion from the east side of Troost Avenue to the west is about more than jumping across the street, said Mary Esselman. The move will literally bridge a racial and economic dividing line that has persisted for decades. “Bridging Troost is not only a legacy to our founders, but is huge symbolically,…
Fund Me, KC: Operation Breakthrough hopes to burn into STEM gap with laser cutter
Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its ‘Fund Me, KC’ feature to highlight area entrepreneurial efforts to accelerate businesses or projects. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by contacting news@startlandnews.com. Today’s featured campaign from Operation Breakthrough spotlights a campaign by the nonprofit childhood development center to boost its…
Code Ninjas uses karate format to punch into KC youth STEM scene
Students often want more than their schools can offer, said Jason Hansen, of Code Ninjas. For some, that’s competitive sports teams or specialty athletics, he said. Others yearn for greater STEM-based learning opportunities — like those offered at Hansen’s Leawood center. “It’s just like you might have a dance studio, or a baseball academy,” Hansen…
