Bremerton High School is one of among 14 schools or organizations that were awarded a Washington STEM Entrepreneur Award in March.

The award supports the exploration of breakthrough ideas and promising approaches in STEM education and the high school will receive $10,000 to transition its 9th grade science curriculum to a STEM-based one, according to a statement from the Bremerton School District.

A STEM course that focuses on project-based engineering will begin in the fall for all incoming 9th grade students at the high school, said Linda Hupka, the school’s assistant principal and CTE supervisor. The new course will replace the current physical science curriculum.

The awarded money will allow for professional development and common planning time for eight teachers to develop projects, connect with industry partners and align the curriculum to the common core standards. Professional development and teaming will also include the Project Lead the Way teacher at Mountain View Middle School and West Hills STEM Academy.

Washington STEM is connected to a national network of organizations advancing STEM education at the state and national levels. With its recent round of investments, Washington STEM has committed $2,010,000 to programs reaching more than 500 teachers and 16,000 students across the state.